


paint it, black

by simplyverstappen



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Blood, Childhood Trauma, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jos Verstappen's A+ Parenting, M/M, Max is the bad guy, Minor Character Death, So much angst, Superpowers, Swearing, Violence, a bit of fluff because why not, actually now that I think about it also slow burn, found family trope, god I am excited for this, or not?, will there be a happy end? who knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:14:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27058552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyverstappen/pseuds/simplyverstappen
Summary: “He’s using you, Daniel. And when he doesn’t need you anymore he won’t hesitate to kill you.”or alternatively, the hero and the villain are in love with each other and pissed off about it
Relationships: Charles Leclerc/Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Comments: 318
Kudos: 304





	1. Red Right Hand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [greeny1710](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greeny1710/gifts).



> HERE WE ARE this is the 30k fic I’ve accidentally written at the beginning of September lmao 
> 
> This is for **Kai (greeny1710/3303andmore)** because it’s their birthday today and I do hope you will like it bro 💛 Thank you for being amazing, for your writing and for being my friend and everything. I am just really grateful to have you in my life, thank you for the last nine months with all its ups and downs - I love you my dude 💛
> 
> I enjoyed writing this so so much, this is loosely inspired by Marvel, The Old Guard, The Umbrella Academy and a tumblr post that said ‘imagine the villain and the hero falling in love and they’re both pissed off about it’ and I just- I wanted to write sth like this for a while now lmao
> 
> Given that it’s for Kai it’s also pretty angsty, especially after a while sksksk
> 
> Will there be a Happy End? Who knows 
> 
> **Please keep the tags in mind** , the chapter names are song titles (I can link you the songs at the beginning of the chapters if you want - the vibe of them is kinda the vibe of the chapter and they all fit lyrics-wise as well more or less) and the title of the fic is from ‘Paint It, Black’ by Ciara
> 
> Uploads will be every day, you all know my tumblr if you want to yell at me ✨
> 
> This fic is really close to my heart and I hope you’ll enjoy it 💛

The first time Max meets _him_ he’s currently busy sneaking into a company in the Business District in Central London. Well, maybe more like breaking in, given the fact that it is night, he knocked out two guards at the entrance to get past and stole their keycard. 

Max walks soundlessly through the empty corridors, he’s completely alone but his body is tense, ready for whatever might come his way. 

Whoever might come his way. 

His neck is prickling, he feels watched but when he turns around there’s nobody.

“Lando”, he says quietly, stopping for a moment before he looks around the next corner, “is anyone here?”

“Nope”, Lando’s cheerful voice appears in his ear over the coms, “just you and yourself, Maxy.”

“Thanks”, Max mumbles - that doesn’t ease his tension at all. He’s restless and he turns around the next corner, conjuring a bit of his kinetic energy to calm himself. 

“The documents are on the fifth floor, room 533”, Lando says a bit more seriously and Max nods, only mumbling “Copy” before taking the stairs, always two at once. 

He’s not particularly nervous, he’s doing this his whole life already and this is a routine. Get in, get whatever his current client wants, try not to kill anyone (except that’s the job) (so far he has succeeded though) and disappear again. 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 

That most of the things Max does are not exactly legal and that he is considered a ‘villain’ rather than a hero in the public eye doesn’t bother him as much as it probably should. 

People will always talk and honestly, as long as he gets paid he doesn’t give a shit who he works for. Or kills. 

“You’re nearly there”, Lando says over the coms and Max hums, stopping at the beginning of the corridor, his eyes wandering over the signs next to the doors. He drops his energy, taking a step forward but before he realises it, he gets slammed into the wall. 

“What ya doing there?”, a voice asks him and Max wants to free himself, his fight or flight instincts kicking in but when he looks up he looks directly into a pair of brown eyes and the man beams at him with a broad smile. 

He’s _smiling_?! 

That’s unusual. 

Max is so stunned he forgets to resist for a moment, just staring at the guy and trying to make sense of the situation. 

It’s not even an evil smile, not some Joker-kind of thing - it’s a nice, warm smile. Genuine. Is he a security guard? 

Max’s eyes travel over the man’s body but he’s wearing some black tight suit - definitely not a security guard. He can’t see any weapons though and with a quick move, Max frees himself, glaring at the man. 

“Get the fuck away from me”, he threatens him quietly but the man just keeps grinning. “Should I be scared of you?”

He’s not wearing a mask and that confuses Max even more. Is he some superhero? He heard there are a few in the city but he has never met one before. 

And if he’s being honest he also didn’t take them that seriously. It’s not like they’re a threat to him and not wearing a mask is incredibly stupid. Given, Max is also not wearing one but he normally never gets caught and if someone catches him they don’t live long enough to tell anyone. 

And Max always gets so hot under the mask even though Lando and Charles keep bugging him about it. 

This guy managed to sneak up on him though and Max can’t deny that he’s a little bit pissed about it. And that Lando didn’t tell him shit. 

His best friend has gotten suspiciously quiet over the coms and Max grits his teeth, conjuring his kinetic energy again. 

He won’t hesitate to blast that guy out of the window if he has to but the man doesn’t look fazed at all. Rather the contrary, his smile widening(Max didn’t think that was even possible) when he sees his powers and he runs a hand through his dark curls. 

“Is that supposed to scare me, mate?” He has an Australian accent and Max grits his teeth. 

“What are you, a bad copy of Captain America?”, he bites back and the man looks surprised for a second before he laughs, the sound making Max’s belly flutter and he really hates himself. 

Who the fuck does that guy think he is? 

“Rather Tony Stark, don’t ya think?”, the man gives back, actually _winking_ at him and Max narrows his eyes. There’s a clock ticking in the back of his head, he knows he shouldn’t waste this much time and he raises his eyebrows. “So you’re what, a superhero?”

“You could say that, yeah.” The man leans against the wall, looking completely relaxed and Max is really annoyed. And pissed off. 

And maybe a little bit turned on. 

But mostly pissed off that the guy is wasting his time. 

“So what’s your superpower?”, he asks, not able to keep the annoyed undertone out of his voice and the man grins. “My smile.”

“What.” 

“My smile, it takes your breath away.” The man’s smile widens and Max is actually speechless for a second. Does he really think this is a _joke_ -

He doesn’t pay attention for just one second, a rookie mistake really and it’s enough for the man to pin him to the ground, effectively cutting off his kinetic energy for a moment and holding his wrists to the ground. 

“I’m the Honey Badger”, he introduces himself while Max stares at him, his brain trying to process how this could happen. Honey Badger?! 

“That’s a ridiculous name”, he hisses and the man - hero - Honey Badger - whatever - looks at him with fake hurt. “You break my heart, mate. So who are you and why are you trying to break into buildings you have no access to?”

“That’s none of your business, _mate_.” Max frees himself with a swift kick in the stomach, taking the man by surprise and he gets back on his feet, glaring at him, the guy still not looking fazed. 

Yep, he’s really pissed off now. 

He throws the first punch but the Honey Badger is _fast_ , dodging it so quickly Max nearly misses the movement and one second later he feels a fist connect with his jaw and he can taste blood.

Fucking hell. 

Max spits on the ground, glaring at him before he goes after his opponent again.

He realises pretty soon though that he has no chance, still too confused and unfocused, his brain trying to make sense of the guy and when the Honey Badger throws him out of the window, glass shattering, Max manages just in time to not crash face-front into the roof below him. 

He groans, glass splitters around him, he’s pretty sure he’s bleeding and he slowly rolls around, glaring at the guy who’s leaning in the window, staring down at him. His ribs hurt and Max coughs, still shocked. 

This has never happened before. He has never met someone who’s equal to his skills since-

“Stay the fuck away from here or next time I’m going to have you arrested!”, the guy calls out, his smile dropped and dark eyes are burning holes into Max. Max just flips him off which gets him a laugh in return and he slowly gets up, a bit shaky on his legs. 

“Fucking dickhead”, he mutters, brushing over his suit and he takes a deep breath. He’s tempted to go back in and finish the job anyway but his body hurts, he’s pretty sure now he’s bleeding somewhere and rationally he knows he won’t have a chance now. 

He’ll have to come back another time and he throws one last glare at the dark figure standing in the window before he makes his way through the empty streets, pushing a few empty trash cans to the side and letting them crash through shop windows. 

He’s pissed and where is his best friend when he needs him?! Wasn’t he supposed to tell him if anyone tries to sneak up on him?! Lando definitely has had days where he had been more useful. 

Max punches the wall, not giving a shit when the bricks crumble under the kinetic energy that comes from his fist and he makes his way back to their base - Lando is not answering him over the coms and any other day Max might have been worried but tonight he’s only pissed.

“Oh hey, you’re ba- what the fuck happened to you?!” Lando freezes when he looks up from his laptop, a shocked expression in his eyes and Max grits his teeth. “Where the fuck were you?!”

“I-“ Lando blushes, biting his bottom lip and he crosses his legs, clearly at a loss for words. 

“Because I nearly _died_ ”, yes, Max knows he’s dramatic but he doesn’t care, “and you just fucking disappeared!”

“Calm down, you seemed like you had everything under control”, Charles throws in, strolling over and pulling Lando on his lap with a smirk on his face. “But Jesus, what happened to your suit?”

Max doesn’t have to be a genius to know his two friends have been busy with each other instead of aiding him and he crosses his arms in front of his chest, ignoring the sting of his ribs every time he breathes in. 

“While you two were busy fucking”, he glares at them and while Lando at least has the decency to look guilty Charles just grins, “I got my ass kicked by some guy who calls himself the Honey Badger!” 

His voice got louder at the end and Charles drops his grin immediately, Lando’s eyes widening. “Did you get the documents??”

“Nope.”

“ _You_ lost a fight?!” Lando seems genuinely shocked and Max is a bit offended and also a little insulted that he immediately concludes he lost against the Honey Badger but- alright he probably doesn’t look too convincing. 

“I wouldn’t have if you had warned me I’m not alone”, he hisses and takes the ice pack Charles hands him, pressing it against his face. 

Everything hurts and he feels a bit sick. 

“Oh my god”, Lando mumbles, pulling his laptop closer and typing quickly. 

“I’ll try fixing your suit, go get a shower, mate”, Charles says, pulling him up and Max wants to tell him that he is not the one who tells him what to do but a shower does sound nice and after one last glare at his two friends he disappears in the bathroom, dropping his dark blue suit in front of the door. 

He is really done with this day. 

The hot water burns, his body is slowly turning blue and yellow and he grits his teeth when he washes the blood off, trying to take his time. Adrenaline is still rushing through his veins, he feels oddly alive, his brain screaming at him to go and search for another fight even though he knows it’s a bad idea and he tries to get that goddamn smile out of his head. 

A small voice in him whispers that he enjoyed it, loved having someone equal, someone who can actually fight him but Max pushes it away - he’s still mostly pissed and annoyed. 

And his ego is hurt so after he’s done with the shower and changed into sweatpants and a hoodie he wanders into the kitchen and eats three chocolate bars, sulking while sitting on the kitchen counter.

The dirty dishes in the sink indicate that Lando and Charles already had dinner and Max huffs, getting more chocolate. 

This was not how his evening was supposed to go.

He was supposed to get the documents about some illegal weapon trade to the Middle East, hand them over to his client and then spend the rest of the night playing video games with Lando and Charles before going for breakfast tomorrow morning, checking out that small café in South London Charles discovered two weeks ago. 

Instead of that, he’s sulking in his kitchen, eating chocolate and trying to come up with an explanation for his client tomorrow. Maybe he should send Charles - or Lando. 

Max isn’t good with people. 

He eats two more chocolate bars before dragging himself back in the living room where Lando is still typing on his laptop, Charles curled up on one of the sofas with his phone in his hand. 

Both look up when he comes in though, there’s a bowl with Ramen noodles next to Lando and Max falls down next to Charles, ignoring the pain that shoots through his body. 

“So I did some research”, Lando starts carefully and Max raises an eyebrow, making an impatient gesture for him to go on. “And?”

“Your Honey Badger is called Daniel Ricciardo, he’s 31 and from Australia”, Lando continues, glancing at his screen. “He has lived in London for five years now but no idea what he did before that. He now sometimes works for the police, that’s where I got the data from.”

“What are his powers?”

“Don’t know.” Lando shrugs helplessly and Max slowly turns towards him, a disbelieving look on his face. “You don’t _know_?!”

That’s bad. 

“Hey, all it says here is that he served in the Australian Military for some time but it’s a bit harder to get access to, I don’t know, experiments they might have done to him.” Lando raises his eyebrows before he grins. “And I mean you’ve experienced first hand that he’s a pretty skilled fighter.” 

Max glares at him and Lando laughs. “I’m gonna try breaching the security system of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service but that might take a while.” 

Max just grumbles something, fishing for the PlayStation controller and ignoring his two friends. 

This was the first time he got his ass kicked by Daniel Ricciardo and it’s the first time he actually failed at a job. 

Max kicks against the sofa while Lando keeps laughing at him, eating his Ramen noodles. 

Max is tempted to throw him out of the window.

-

“So I met this ‘villain’ today”, Dan starts with a grin on his face while falling next to Hulk on the sofa, accepting the bowl of pasta Michael hands him, “and he didn’t wear a mask.” 

“That’s brave”, Hulk comments from across the room, sitting cross-legged on one of the mismatched kitchen chairs and Michael frowns. 

“And it looks like he managed quite some blows”, he says while his eyes wander over Daniel’s body and he gets a wet towel to clean the blood from his face. 

Dan sighs, huddling himself more into his big hoodie and ignores his bruised ribs - that guy definitely knew how to throw a punch. And he still has no idea who he is or who he works for. Or if he is a bigger threat than he originally thought. 

He eats more pasta while Michael takes care of his injuries, Hulk bringing him a painkiller and Daniel stares out of the window into the dark night. 

He didn’t miss the kinetic energy that came from the guy, the pure force behind his actions, the raw power. It didn’t help him much against Daniel, Dan apparently managed to throw him off a bit but he’s still intrigued. 

And wants to know more about him. 

“So who was that guy?”, Hulk asks after Daniel finished his pasta, his colleague (or co-worker? Daniel isn’t sure if there’s a term for ‘superhero who’s also one of your closest friends and sometimes saves the world with you’) strolling over and sitting down next to him but Daniel just shrugs. “I wish I knew, mate. When I asked him he kicked me in the stomach.” 

“What a lovely guy”, Hulk comments while Michael frowns worriedly, pulling his laptop on his lap and starts typing, searching databases - Daniel has no idea. 

Michael is responsible for all the technical shit, he’s a technical genius and his trainer, they’ve been in the military together and his fellow Australian looks up. “Describe him.”

“Early twenties, strange accent, blue eyes with specks of green in them, kind of a square watermelon face, broad shoulders, a dark blue suit without a logo on it, can create blasts of red kinetic energy, telekinesis apparently but he just used it once and a pretty decent fighter”, Daniel lists with a frown. “Quite cute, a bit like a grumpy cat.” 

Hulk snorts, nearly choking on his beer while Michael just nods, still busy searching and Daniel sighs, leaning back. He didn’t even plan to head to the Business District tonight, he had actually wanted to head more South, patrolling there (he heard about some gang activities in that area) but on his way, he came past the tall building, the two security guards knocked out in the lobby and well. 

He definitely won’t say no to a good fight.

“Oh shit”, Michael mumbles and Daniel looks up, taking the beer bottle Hulk hands him. 

“What? How high is Mystery Boy on our list of most wanted villains?”, he asks dryly and Michael hesitates. “Do you remember Jos Verstappen?”

How could Daniel not. A particularly nasty scar on his right thigh, now covered by a tattoo, is from Jos Verstappen’s knife and he sets his jaw, sitting up a bit straighter. “Yeah? What about him, I thought he’s dead.” 

“He is”, Michael confirms, a grim expression in his eyes. “That guy you ran into? That’s Max - Jos’ son.”

The words feel like a punch in the gut and Daniel stares at him, actually speechless. 

“You want to tell me that this guy- Max, that _Max_ is the son of the man who was close to starting World War III?”, Daniel says quietly, sitting up a bit straighter. “The man who was hunted by literally every superhero and every Secret Intelligence Service on the planet? The man who had connections to terrorist organisations and experimented with chemical weapons, committing several war crimes?”

“Yep.” Michael sits back and Daniel shakes his head stunned, his brain going through everything he knows about the man. “There are rumours-“

He stops and Hulk scowls. 

“That Jos Verstappen got killed by his own son”, he finishes Daniel’s sentence and Michael nods. “To take over his empire but no one has seen him in years. Some even thought he’s different from his father.” 

“Well he clearly isn’t”, Hulk comments dryly and Daniel stares at them, trying to connect the man he saw earlier this night to Jos Verstappen. 

There isn’t much known about the Verstappen family - Jos has always been good at keeping it a secret. His death two years ago (Daniel is still a bit bitter that it wasn’t him who killed him) had brought a bit of peace to the criminal underworld in Europe but apparently that peace is over now. 

And of course Verstappen’s son went to London. 

“Was that him?”, Michael asks, turning his screen and Daniel moves closer, squinting his eyes at the sudden brightness. The boy in the picture, which is a bit grainy and looks like it is the screencap of some CCTV, is definitely Max - he looks younger there, no beard stubble like he had before and an insecure expression on his face but it’s definitely him.

And he’s walking next to no other than Jos Verstappen. 

Fucking great. 

“Yep, that’s him”, Daniel says dryly, shaking his head incredulously. 

“Verstappen is involved in a lot of shady shit”, Michael says slowly while scrolling through his database, the frown still present on his forehead. “Kidnapping, assassinations, all that shit. He was supposed to steal some top-secret documents about illegal weapon trades to the Middle East tonight - well until you showed up.”

“Great”, Daniel mumbles, running a hand through his hair. Max didn’t- well he is dangerous but he wasn’t how Daniel would’ve imagined Jos Verstappen’s son. There was something about him- 

“They also call him ‘The Lion’”, Michael throws in and Daniel scoffs. “What, because he’s cuddly and fluffy like one?” 

“No, because he’s deadly and never gives up. Heard he killed two men while he was on the brink of death.” 

“Haven’t we all?” 

“Daniel, that guy is dangerous.” Michael gives him a pointed look and pushes his laptop away. “And he means trouble.”


	2. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is [Scars by Boy Epic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCRXobvs9_I)

It’s not that Max wants to meet Daniel Ricciardo again - his ego is still a bit hurt and he can do very well without seeing that Australian ‘superhero’. Or whatever the fuck he is.

And while he’s still intrigued and wants to know more about him (and maybe see that stupid smile of his again) he knows that it’s better if they avoid each other - Daniel is too pretty to die this early and Max actually finds himself wishing he doesn’t have to kill him. 

And that is easiest done when they don’t cross paths. 

And yet, when he turns into a dark alley on his way to assassinate some shady CEO, he freezes dead in his tracks when he spots the dark suit, the black curls and the flashing smile, dread settling in his stomach. 

Great.

“Well, well, well, if that isn’t Max Verstappen”, Ricciardo comments with a grin and Max stares at him, the sentence feeling like a punch in the gut. 

So he knows who he is. 

Lovely. Simply lovely. 

Max has to give it to him, he’s good but that also means he can’t let him stay alive. A shame, really. 

“Does it matter, Ricciardo?”, he hisses, enjoying the short moment of confusion on Ricciardo’s face before it’s replaced by his trademark smile again. 

Two can play this game and Max does not plan on losing. 

“Got quite a famous daddy”, Ricciardo comments nonchalantly and before Max can answer, Ricciardo is in front of him, throwing his first punch. Max manages to dodge it before he uses his powers, letting one of the trash cans fly towards Ricciardo, crashing it into him. 

Ricciardo groans before immediately getting back up on his feet, Max conjuring his energy and taking a deep breath. The guy is unpredictable and he doesn’t have Lando over the coms with him tonight - not yet at least. 

He actually trusted himself to make it to his target on time without running into trouble. 

“What exactly is your problem with me?!”, he growls while he takes a punch to the ribs and he blasts some energy towards Ricciardo who dodges it. He’s quick, leaner than Max and a much tougher opponent Max would have liked. 

He ignores the small voice inside his head that tells him that he _does_ enjoy it. 

“You’re a villain, Maxy.” Ricciardo dodges another punch and Max grits his teeth, kicking him in the stomach. “Don’t call me that.” 

No one has ever called him Maxy apart from his mother and he suddenly has a lump in his throat, knowing he can’t go down that route now. Not during a fight where his whole focus has to stay on his opponent. 

Fucking Daniel Ricciardo who’s just grinning even though he’s coughing, spitting out some blood. “Always.” 

He lands another punch and Max scowls, using his telekinesis again to move one of the cars parked on the street. “I have morals. Very low morals but morals.” 

He really doesn’t know why he feels the need to justify his actions to that bastard. 

Ricciardo is too quick once again and before Max knows it his opponent is behind him, his arm around his throat, effectively choking him.

“I doubt that”, Ricciardo mumbles in a low voice and Max really hates that he gets goosebumps from that. 

He could die any second, Ricciardo could kill him, choke him to death with those arms and he desperately reaches for his kinetic energy while kicking Ricciardo against his shin with not much effect. 

The guy even has the nerve to chuckle quietly and Max hates him so fucking much.

“So, I heard you’re on your way to assassinate someone tonight”, Ricciardo starts in a light voice and Max grits his teeth, still trying to come up with a way out. He can’t believe the guy wants to chat with him now. “So what, you’ve decided to stop me?”

“Someone has to.” Ricciardo shrugs, his arm still around his throat and Max takes a shaky breath, feeling the energy build up in him. If he manages one blast-

“So you are going to kill me”, he states, trying to distract the man behind him but Ricciardo just shakes his head. “Nah. I’m the good guy, remember?”

Great. That means he’ll hand him over to the cops and he’ll get arrested. Prison break was definitely not what Max had planned for tonight, it’s always such a hassle and he takes a deep breath. 

“Fuck you-“

He wants to release his energy but Ricciardo suddenly cuts off his air and Max escapes a desperate noise, struggling again. No- 

He keeps fighting but before he knows it he becomes unconscious, his mind slipping into darkness. 

-

When he wakes up again he half expects to be chained to something or to at least be in some sort of cell but instead, he’s laying on something soft and it’s bright, a breeze touching his face. When he opens his eyes, the sun is high up in the sky. 

Max groans, his throat is dry and hurts like hell and he slowly sits up, realising that he sits on some grass, tall trees around him. 

And he’s completely alone and able to move his hands. 

So Ricciardo just dropped him off in some forest?! Max grits his teeth, scrambling to his feet and leaning against a tree when he blacks out for a moment, taking a deep breath. 

Breathing still hurts and he quickly checks his pockets but he still has his phone and he groans when he sees the time: it’s 1 pm.

And he fucked up a job. Again.

-

Daniel squats down on the edge of the rooftop, Hulk next to him and they stare at the building in front of them. It’s night, the building in front of them is burning, people are running out and Daniel takes a deep breath when he sees the man responsible for this mess stepping out of the flames. 

Max Verstappen has a cold look on his face, pushing an approaching security guard with a kinetic blast to the side, a murderous look in his eyes and Daniel knows they should do something.

But he knows they’re too late and he knows no innocent people died in that fire - he saw Max go through the building before and while Daniel definitely doesn’t approve of the killing of that CEO (and all the guards) he also knows the man has been involved in some shady business and _probably_ deserved it. 

Probably.

Still. 

He sits up straighter when he hears a blood-curdling scream - someone is still inside the building and by the sounds of it no guard. 

Someone innocent. 

He jumps up, Hulk reaching for his knives but Max seems to have heard the scream as well and he turns around, heading back into the building without hesitation. 

“Should we-“, Hulk starts, confusion is written all over his face but Daniel shakes his head, reaching for Hulk’s arm to hold him back, watching Max run through the building, a shield of red energy around him, protecting him from the flames. 

He doubts he’s going to kill that person and if- well, let’s just say Hulk can throw his knives really fast. And he never misses. 

But he didn’t have to worry, Max leads the person out of the building, dropping them off on a patch of grass on the sidewalk, far enough from the burning building and Daniel exhales barely audibly, Max’s voice back in his head.

_“I have morals. Very low morals but morals.”_

Apparently, the innocents that got killed during his past jobs have really been accidents (or at least Daniel hopes so) and Hulk grits his teeth before he throws his knife, Daniel tensing.

Max flinches when the knife flies past him, missing him only by a few millimetres, getting stuck in the tree trunk next to him and he stares at the knife for a second before he looks towards their way, his face hardening when he spots them on the rooftop. 

Daniel swallows dryly, they stare at each other for a moment before Max turns his gaze away, ripping the knife out of the tree before he heads off into the night, taking the knife with him. 

“Bastard”, Hulk mumbles and Daniel takes a deep breath, watching the fire brigade and police arrive at the scene. 

“We should’ve gone after him”, Hulk states, sounding bitter but Daniel shakes his head. “What for? He already killed his target and-“

“And we should’ve at least stopped him so the police could arrest him!” Hulk stares at him and Daniel knows he’s pissed. “He’s a criminal, Daniel! He’s dangerous and he does not deserve to just walk free!”

Daniel wants to argue but he really doesn’t know what to say and he hesitates, biting his lip. “Nico-“

“Just look after yourself, man”, Hulk interrupts him quietly while getting up. “He’s dangerous and he won’t hesitate to kill you if he has to. Don’t underestimate him.” 

-

Max curses quietly when he sees the familiar figure at the end of the alley - at least he’s alone this time without his friend. Or co-worker or whatever. 

Lando has found out that Knife Guy is called Nico Hulkenberg, going by ‘Hulk’ (Max has to think of the green Marvel superhero guy and still finds it absolutely ridiculous that Hulkenberg goes by that name) and he left the knife at home, giving Charles a chance take a closer look at it - it has flown with such inhuman exact precision and Max really wants to know if it’s manipulated or not. 

Their database didn’t have much information on Hulk either and it really pisses Max off by now. 

Maybe Charles can tinker a bit with that thing though, find out its secret. 

“You again”, he says through clenched teeth, trying to ignore the small voice in his head telling him that he should have killed Ricciardo by now. 

Ricciardo just shrugs, his trademark grin on his face while he leans against the wall. “Going somewhere?”

“Why do you-“ Max stops when Lando suddenly lets out a blood-curdling scream over the coms and Max’s heart stops for a second. 

“Lando, are you okay?!” He sounds panicked, Ricciardo frowning in confusion but he’s not attacking him and frankly, Max doesn’t care - he’s ready to leave the job behind and kill whoever is hurting his best friend right now. 

_“THERE ARE TWO OF THEM!”_ , Lando yells before screaming again and Max takes a deep breath. “Lando, where’s Charles, are you-“

_“I told you they’d come back, I told you they’d reproduce!”_

Max frowns, relaxing his muscles a little and he takes a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Ricciardo though. “Lando, do you need help?”

 _”No, I’ll get the hover!”_ Lando still sounds panicked and Max is pretty sure the confusion on his face is more than obvious, Ricciardo slowly coming closer. 

“The hover?!” Max stares at Ricciardo while trying to make sense of it and he flinches when Lando screams again, Charles yelling _”There they are, they are so big!”_ in the background.

What the-

 _”There are two hornets!”_ , Lando explains quickly and Max raises his eyebrows. “HORNETS?!”

Is he fucking serious. 

“Who the fuck are you talking to?”, Ricciardo asks confused and Max waves dismissively. “My... intelligence operative.”

That sounds way fancier than what Lando actually does but it doesn’t give too much away and Max clears his throat. “And he’s fighting two hornets right now.”

Why is he telling him that, it’s none of his business, he has a job to do, he needs to _leave_ \- 

“Two hornets?” Ricciardo stares at him in disbelief and Max sighs. “Yes.”

_”Who are you talking t- IT MOVED, FUCK, CHARLES DO SOMETHING!”_

Max is pretty sure he’s deaf after this evening and he crosses his arms in front of his chest, setting his jaw while debating what to do.

“Ricciardo”, he answers curtly and while Lando yells again, apparently not paying much attention to him, Ricciardo raises his eyebrows. “What?”

“Nothing.” Max sighs and he wants to say something when he hears the hover over the coms and he really questions his life decisions right now. 

“He should try a flip flop”, Ricciardo then suddenly suggests and Max decides to ignore him - what is his game anyway? Why is he not attacking him? Why is he giving him fucking _suggestions_ on how to fight hornets- 

“So you’ve got everything under control?”, he asks Lando dryly, not looking directly at Ricciardo so he doesn’t think he’s talking to him and the hover switches off. 

_”Yeah don’t worry, they’re gone. Mate, I’ve never been this scared in my life!”_

Coming from the guy who works with the most dangerous criminals in the world and has had his life threatened at least five times by now. Max shakes his head before he focuses back on Ricciardo, tensing slightly again. “Now, back to you.”

“Any plans for tonight?” Ricciardo smirks and Max snorts, conjuring his kinetic energy, already having eyed a few objects he can use to block Ricciardo. “Yeah but none of them involve you.”

He attacks him, Ricciardo dodges but Max expected that (he should really get some new moves) and he makes the streetlamp crash, Ricciardo avoiding it only narrowly. 

“Rude”, Ricciardo comments, there’s still a smirk on his face and Max takes a deep breath. He could kill him - he has the power. He knows he could, it’s just a few moves and he’d win this fight. 

But he can’t. He can’t kill him, Ricciardo is the only one who was able to match him, who was able to take him in a fight and Max grew oddly fond of him. In a very annoying way, like he grew fond of Charles or a scar that keeps reminding him that he is alive. 

And it pisses him off. 

So while he can’t kill Ricciardo he can at least injure him heavily enough to send him to the hospital and buy himself some time and he draws in a sharp breath when Ricciardo’s fist hits his ribs with more force than he thought the guy is capable of. 

He should’ve paid more attention. 

Max manages just in time to avoid Ricciardo’s next punch, still not sure what exactly his superpowers are (he is not using the gun strapped to his leg for whatever reason) and he manages to land a few hits, blocking the alley exit with a car. 

The clock is ticking, his target is moving and he knows he needs to either kill or knock Ricciardo out now - he’s running out of time.

“So what’s your job tonight, Maxy?”, Ricciardo asks him casually and Max tries to ignore the way his stomach flutters at how he says ‘Maxy’. Dickhead. 

“Still none of your business”, he hisses and with his next punch, Ricciardo staggers back, clearly surprised. It hurts Max in a strange way but he doesn’t give himself the time to dwell over that, rather punching him again and effectively knocking him out when his fist connects with his temple. 

He stares at the unconscious body in front of him on the ground, his heart beating fast in his chest and he squats down next to him, instinctively feeling his pulse. He breathes out when he feels the heartbeat and he hesitates. 

It’s quite cold outside. 

And it’s an empty alleyway in the middle of London. 

Probably not safe. 

And Ricciardo brought him to some forest as well.

Max sighs and before he can help himself he brushes a few of Ricciardo’s curls back, smiling instinctively. He’s cute and Max hates himself for thinking that. 

A voice he hasn’t heard for a long time appears in his head, yelling at him to not catch feelings, to not be weak but Max pushes it back and he lifts Ricciardo off the ground with his energy. 

He doesn’t know where Daniel lives and he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be welcome there but there’s a small hideout close by and Max makes his way onto the roofs, careful to not drop the body. 

The hideout is a small, sheltered place on top of a building a few streets down, just a few blankets and pillows and Max gently lowers Ricciardo down on the shady mattress, hesitating before pulling the blanket over him. 

Again, it’s cold. 

And he’s really running out of time now. 

Max throws him one last look before he turns around, disappearing into the night and ignoring the voice that is yelling at him, telling him he should’ve killed him.

-

Daniel groans when he wakes up, blinking and he lifts his hand over his eyes to shield them from the bright sunlight. His whole body hurts, he has no idea where he is or what time it is and he frowns when a blanket slides from his body. 

He slowly sits up, looking around and he realises he’s on a flat roof, the River Thames in front of him and he winces when he tries moving his leg. 

It hurts but he knows he’s already healing and he can’t hold back a smile when he sees a coffee cup and a brown paper bag next to him on the ground. He knows exactly who brought him here and he tries to ignore the warm feeling in his stomach, reaching for the coffee and taking a sip.

It’s already cold and a bit bitter but Daniel couldn’t care less, eating the bagel with cream cheese that’s in the paper bag while taking a deep breath, watching the sunrise over the Thames, pulling the blanket tighter around him. 

He knows Hulk and Michael probably worry but he can’t face them yet. 

Not while he’s still trying to sort out his thoughts and he takes another deep breath, carefully stretching. 

Max Verstappen knocked him out before he brought him on a rooftop and didn’t just leave him in some alley. 

Max Verstappen killed another target last night and Daniel failed in stopping him. 

Max Verstappen came back for him and brought him some coffee and a bagel. 

And Daniel might have just fallen in love with him. 

God, he’s so fucked. 

He groans, putting his head back and staring at the blue sky, his stomach fluttering when he thinks about Max. 

He didn’t kill him. He has had the chance and he didn’t kill him and Daniel really doesn’t know what to make of that, his grip around the coffee cup tightening a little and he bites his lips, watching a small boat pass him on the water. 

This doesn’t fit at all to the rumours he has heard about Max - and there’s also the hornet story with Lando, Max’s ... intelligence operative. If he’s really that. Whoever the fuck Lando is. 

The name rings a bell but he can’t place it yet - he’ll have to talk with Michael about this. 

Daniel slowly gets up, finishing his bagel and he looks back at the blankets and pillows, hesitating. He doesn’t even know if Max will return to this place but- 

He goes through the pockets of his suit, smiling when he finds a pen and scribbles a quick _‘Thanks mate’_ on the napkin before placing it on one of the pillows, weighing it down with the blankets. 

Then he turns around, slowly climbing back down and making his way back home, ignoring the strange looks he gets for his suit - it’s London, they’re used to stranger things. In the worst case, they mistake him for some nerd who is doing a bad cosplay of one of the Avengers. 

He ignores his phone as well, he knows Michael will probably be worried sick but he’s also home soon and his head still hurts. 

And Michael always yells when he’s worried. 

Daniel stifles a yawn, his back still hurts and he works his jaw, feeling his body already healing the worst injuries. Walking still hurts a bit though and when he arrives at their flat, the door is ripped open before he can even think about looking for his key. 

“You’re a fucking cunt, Daniel Ricciardo”, Michael says with a pressed voice before he pulls him into a bone-crushing hug and Daniel winces, grimacing when he feels the pain. Michael doesn’t seem to notice (or he simply doesn’t care), lifting him up and Daniel doesn’t even protest, wrapping his legs around Michael’s body, exhaustion slowly taking over.

His friend closes the door behind him before carrying him in the living room, Hulk dropping his spoon into the bowl when he sees them and breathing out audibly. 

“Thank god”, he mutters while Michael gently lowers Daniel on the sofa, giving him a worried once-over. 

“Where the fuck were you?!”, he asks while handing him some pain killers and Dan swallows them with a glass of water, sinking back in the pillows. 

He feels a bit sick and he knows he just needs to sleep it off - he’ll be completely fine tomorrow but today he’ll suffer, his body doing its thing. 

“Run into Max again”, he mumbles and he doesn’t miss the alarmed look Hulk and Michael are exchanging, Nico slowly getting up. “Did he-“

“He didn’t try to kill me”, Daniel interrupts him, a sharp edge to his voice and he crosses his arms in front of his chest. “He didn’t. He knocked me out but that was it.”

“Daniel-“

“He brought me to a small hideout with blankets and brought me some coffee and a bagel, okay?” Daniel doesn’t know why he suddenly gets so defensive but Max is- he’s not really _bad_.

He might not be particularly good either and yes, he kills people and does a lot of things people might classify as ‘bad’ but he’s not an insane psychopath like his father. And if then he didn’t show that side yet or is really good at hiding it. 

And Daniel would know, he did face Jos Verstappen twice and the man has tried to kill him every time without hesitating. 

And he never cared much for innocent people. 

“Oh boy”, Hulk mumbles, shaking his head and Dan frowns. “What?”

“You’re already completely gone for him”, Michael comments dryly, a resigned look in his eyes. “No matter what we say.”

“I‘m-“, not in love with Max. But that would be a lie and Daniel sighs, closing his eyes and he decides to ignore his friends. 

The situation is already weird enough and they’re really not helpful. 

-

“You didn’t kill him?!” Lando stares at him in surprise while eating some Peanut M&M’s and Max rolls his eyes, crossing his legs. “No.”

“He didn’t just kill him, he also made sure he wasn’t freezing to death on some street and brought him a coffee and a bagel this morning”, Charles corrects him, a shit-eating grin on his face and Max really asks himself why they’re friends again. 

Or why he hired Charles to take care of his suit and equipment stuff in the first place. 

“Do you like him, Max?” Lando is grinning as well now and Max scowls, pulling the blanket over his head. “Shut up.” 

Lando giggles, Charles laughs and Max is close to throwing both of them in the Thames. 

He does _not_ like Daniel Ricciardo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am honestly so so happy you all love this fic so much like 💛💛 pls have all my love
> 
> I also want to emphasise that J*s really is (or rather was) a very very bad person in this fic so every time he is mentioned pls be careful and keep the tags in mind
> 
> 💛💛💛💛


	3. Heart Of The Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is [Heart Of The Darkness by Tommee Profitt, Sam Tinnesz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edB_VJz_jX4)

Running into Ricciardo is apparently becoming his new routine now though and Max stares at him when he sees him again the next day, completely unharmed. 

Look, Max knows he didn’t plan on killing him but he actually always thought he has a pretty good punch and his martial arts training should’ve done the rest but-

“You’re alive”, he greets him dryly, eyes still wandering over Ricciardo’s body and he hates that he blushes when Ricciardo notices it, a grin on his face. 

“I am”, he confirms, slowly coming closer. “Disappointed?”

Rather relieved. 

And that’s bad. 

“So that’s your superpower?”, Max guesses, ignoring the knowing smirk and Ricciardo laughs. 

“Superhuman healing abilities, baby”, he says, lazily running a hand through his hair. “I’m very hard to kill.”

Max swallows dryly. “...cool.”

God, he’s such an idiot and- why does he even care what Ricciardo thinks? It’s not like they could a) ever be friends and b) Ricciardo would like him anyway.

He’s the bad guy, remember? 

“Liked the coffee?”, Max asks, they’re circling each other and he definitely won’t admit to Lando or Charles (or anyone) that he kept the napkin with the _‘Thanks mate’_ on it. 

Ricciardo grins. “Coffee was a bit cold and a bit bitter - I prefer an almond milk flat white.” 

He winks at him and Max scoffs, ignoring his belly fluttering. 

“I’ll try keeping it in mind when I knock you out again, Ricciardo”, he mocks him, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“Daniel.”

“What.”

“You can call me Daniel.” 

“I-“ Max stares at him, his heart skipping a beat and he bites his lip so hard he’s tasting blood. “I don’t _care_ , Daniel, I don’t even like you.”

“Nah, I don’t believe you.” Daniel laughs, his brown eyes crinkling. “You love me, Maxy.”

He might be onto something there. And Max is pissed off about that. 

He throws the first punch, managing to hit the ribs and Daniel pulls a face before immediately attacking him as well. It’s rather a sparring match than a true fight, Max instinctively making sure to not injure him too badly and they keep bantering, Max actually smiling for a second. 

He doesn’t even have a job tonight, he just wanted to get out (Lando and Charles are having a date night and he really doesn’t want to be third-wheeling again), maybe pick up a smaller job while being out and he definitely didn’t think he’d see Daniel tonight. 

(He hates how happy it makes him that he does though.)

“You’re better than I thought”, Daniel comments casually while blocking another one of his punches and Max gives him a sweet smile. “And you’re completely average.”

That’s not true, Daniel is incredibly skilled but that just slipped out and Daniel laughs, his next punch too fast for Max, hitting him in the stomach and he groans.

He deserved that. 

“You got my friend pretty worried”, Daniel tells him while avoiding a blast of kinetic energy and Max raises his eyebrows. “That Hulk guy?”

“Yeah.” Daniel doesn’t seem surprised that he knows and he smirks. “Did Lando Norris get his hornet problem solved?”

Max freezes for a second, wincing when Daniel’s fist hits him right in the face and he tastes blood. 

“How do you know about Lando?”, he asks sharply but Daniel just laughs. “Oh please, it wasn’t that hard. Lando Norris, technical genius, went missing when he was 16, kidnapped by no other than Jos Verstappen - I connected the dots and you just confirmed my suspicion.”

Goddamn it. Max grits his teeth, using a bit more force than necessary for his next blast and Daniel stumbles, nearly falling. 

“You don’t know shit about me or my life”, Max hisses - he’s protective over Lando. Very. 

“Is he your boyfriend?” Daniel winks at him, he’s quicker back on his feet than Max anticipated and he snorts. “Lando? No. He’s ...”

_My best friend, brother, the closest thing I ever had to a family._

“...a chaotic mess but not my boyfriend.”

“You’ve got anyone else?”, Daniel asks casually and Max rolls his eyes. “Nope.” 

And he really doesn’t get why Daniel wants to know that. 

Max is pretty sure he just imagined the shimmer of hope in Daniel’s eyes at his answer though because when he looks again there’s nothing but amusement and concentration and he tries pulling Daniel’s legs away, distracting himself from their topic. 

What the fuck.

-

It does become their routine to meet nearly every night, Daniel either trying to stop Max from doing his jobs which mostly ends with one of them unconscious or they meet by chance, Max finding Daniel patrolling during one of the boroughs. 

They keep bantering and fighting, sparring with each other when Max has no job and knocking one of them out when Max does have a job - there’s always a coffee and a bagel next to them when they wake up and the tally is pretty equal at this point. 

And Max always makes sure he gets him almond milk flat white just to see that small tired smile on Daniel’s face when he wakes up again the next morning, huddling himself into the blankets while watching the boats on the Thames and drinking his coffee, Max hiding behind a few chimneys, watching him. 

Lando tells him he is obsessed. 

Max thinks Lando should mind his own business and that Charles fucked his brains out. 

Charles finds the whole situation hilarious, teasing Max relentlessly for falling for a ‘hero’ and Max pushes him off the sofa for that, quitting his PlayStation game before sulking in his bed and ignoring his two best friends.

He did not fall for Daniel Ricciardo and he just doesn’t kill him because it wouldn’t be worth the effort. 

-

“You actually fell for a villain - do you know how cliché that is?”, Hulk comments dryly one day when they’re sitting on the balcony of their flat, smoking (Michael would kick their asses if he knew but he’s picking up their food from that Indian restaurant down the street at the moment) and Daniel rolls his eyes. 

“I did not fall for a villain”, he grumbles, dragging on the cigarette and exhaling the smoke, staring at the trees in front of him. It’s February, Max and he meet nearly every night for three months now and he hates how much he looks forward to these meetings. 

How his heart skips a beat every time he sees him, every time Max laughs. 

And Max is not a villain. 

“He’s Jos Verstappen’s son”, Hulk reminds him as if he could read his thoughts and Dan grits his teeth, leaning back, a blanket over his legs. It’s cold, he can see his own breath forming in clouds in front of him, mixing with the smoke from Hulk’s cigarette and he fidgets with the hem of the blanket. 

“We can’t choose our parents”, he mumbles and Hulk scoffs. “No, we can’t. But he clearly chose to follow into his father’s footsteps.”

“He is not an insane psychopath-“

“Is he not? Just because he acts like a decent human being around you doesn’t mean he isn’t! You don’t know Max Verstappen, Daniel!” Hulk glares at him and Daniel holds his gaze easily, his eyes darkening. “Neither do you!”

“He’s dangerous, Dan, he killed twenty people during some charity gala in one night last year!”

“We don’t know it was him-“

“We do.”

“I’m sure he had his reasons-“

“Are you even listening to yourself?!” Hulk stares at him, shaking his head in disbelief. “Stop finding excuses for him, mate, these people were all innocent!”

Daniel bites his lip, flicking the cigarette away and takes a deep breath. He knows Hulk is right. Knows Max is still on the wrong side of the law and he closes his eyes, his throat tightening.

Fuck. 

“He’s using you, Daniel. And when he doesn’t need you anymore he won’t hesitate to kill you.”

-

“Max?!” Daniel stares at the person in front of him in the supermarket and the guy flinches, turning around so quickly he nearly hits the shelves with his shopping cart. 

Two blue eyes stare at him, he looks genuinely shocked to see him here and Daniel quickly looks him up and down. Max looks different without his suit, he’s wearing sweatpants and a big hoodie, a cap on his head and he looks actually ... cuddly. 

Soft. 

Not like the villain Hulk and Michael paint him to be and Max clears his throat, looking incredibly insecure. 

That’s a first then. 

Daniel keeps smiling, raising his hands in surrender. 

“I’m not here to fight you over some groceries”, he jokes, nodding towards the bottles in his hand. “Or to fight you in general. Just getting some water.”

“Hi”, Max mumbles and he’s actually _blushing_ \- Daniel can’t believe that’s the same guy that bantered with him last night and nearly broke his nose. 

But he has to admit he likes that other side of Max. Likes to see him a bit more vulnerable and he holds back a smile when he sees all the Red Bull cans and chips bags in the shopping cart, directly next to some pasta and bread. 

“We’re having a boys evening tonight”, Max says defensively when he notices his look, biting on his bottom lip and Daniel grins, his heart softening. 

This boy is no threat. And he definitely isn’t threatening right now. 

“I didn’t say anything”, he says amused, getting himself some pasta as well from the shelf - Michael said something about a vegetable pan tonight and they can never have enough pasta at home. “Have fun later.”

“Thanks.” Max gives him a tentative smile, he looks actually a bit lost and the situation is so surreal and awkward that Daniel nearly bursts out laughing. He doesn’t though, knowing Max would most likely not speak to him again and there are still civilians around them who don’t really have to know who they are or what they are doing.

Max’s smile is doing things to Daniel, his heart beating faster and he’s so done with it. He knows he’s falling for Max, he’s already in way too deep and as pissed off as he is about it - he knows there’s no way back. 

Max clears his throat, lifting his cap to run a hand through his hair. 

“I, eh, should get going”, he mumbles and Daniel nods quickly, taking a step back. “I- see you?”

Max nods, throwing him one last look before he turns around, pushing his shopping cart through the aisles and Daniel resists the urge to follow him. 

Max looked like he desperately needed a hug and Daniel hates himself for how much he wants to be the one who’s giving it to him. 

_“He’s using you, Daniel. And when he doesn’t need you anymore he won’t hesitate to kill you.”_

Hulk’s voice appears in his head and Daniel grits his teeth, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. Max right now didn’t look threatening at all and he has a hard time believing Max would actually hurt him. 

He waits five more minutes before he collects the rest of groceries on his list, making his way back outside and heading towards the New Scotland Yard building - Michael and he are meeting with Seb today. 

Sebastian Vettel is an old friend of theirs, working as Detective Chief Inspector for Scotland Yard and while what Daniel and Hulk do isn’t exactly approved by the authorities (he’s not even sure if it’s legal) Seb is grateful for their occasional help. 

“Here.” Daniel drops the water bottle in Michael’s lap when he joins him outside the building, his best friend looking up with raised eyebrows. “Thanks.”

He unscrews the bottle, taking a long sip and Daniel sits down next to him, both of them waiting for Seb. Most officers ignore them, already used to them showing up out of the blue and Daniel waves at Kimi, a co-worker of Seb. 

He debates if he should tell Michael that he ran into Max but he’s pretty sure Michael is just going to lecture him again about how dangerous Max is and while Daniel appreciates his friend’s concern he’s also a bit fed up with it. 

Max is not dangerous and Daniel trusts him. 

And yes, he knows how stupid that is. 

“Daniel, Michael!” Seb shows up, pulling both of them into a quick hug and Daniel smiles, deciding to not bring up Max Verstappen for the sake of the peace of this conversation. 

They keep chatting, Seb thanking them for some lower criminals Daniel caught last week with Michael, his best friend figuring out where they’d been hiding and Seb drops some hints about a few people they’re currently searching. 

Michael saves all of the information they’re getting on his phone, Daniel just keeps listening, nodding along. He likes Seb, he’s easy-going and they’ve been friends for a long time now. 

“There have also been rumours that Jos Verstappen’s son is starting to become more active”, Seb suddenly says and Daniel’s head snaps up, focusing back on the man in front of him. "Really?!" 

From the corner of his eyes, he sees Michael roll his eyes at him but Daniel doesn’t care, he keeps staring at Seb and clears his throat. 

“But it’s not proven that he’s dangerous, right?”, he says slowly, trying to sound casual. Michael next to him groans quietly while Seb raises his eyebrows, staring at Daniel incredulously. “Daniel, he’s _Jos Verstappen’s son_ -“

“Yeah but I mean we can’t choose our parents and-“

“His father experimented on him, gave him superpowers”, Seb interrupts him sharply. “Trained him to take over from him. Verstappen collected quite a record in the last year and he’s a wanted man.” 

Daniel swallows dryly and he crosses his arms in front of his chest, somehow trying to make sense of it all. Max would never- 

“We don’t know what he’s planning, at the moment it looks more like he’s doing some freelancing work”, Seb snorts, “choosing his clients however he wants. But none of the things he did was legal - he _killed_ people, Daniel! He’s powerful, uncontrolled and a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off!” 

“Okay, okay”, Dan mumbles, raising his hands defensively. “I was just saying, man, I mean he’s what, 21?”

He knows exactly how old Max is but Seb doesn’t have to know that he already met him. 

And he knows it’s useless to discuss with Seb. 

He ignores Michael’s pointed look while Seb sighs. “23. Didn’t stop him from murdering three officers in cold blood four months ago.”

Dan nods, biting his lip and he changes the topic, not wanting to think about what Max did any longer. Michael keeps looking at him on their way home but Daniel ignores it, just flipping him off and he opens the door to their flat, dropping the bag with the groceries on the kitchen table. 

Hulk isn’t here, he apparently remembered he has a job as well and Daniel grabs the cigarettes, ignoring Michael’s annoyed look while he sits down on the balcony, ignoring the cold. 

God, he’s so fucked. 

-

“You’re in love with him.” Lando has a huge grin on his face while he cuddles up on Charles’ lap, Charles wrapping his arms around him and Max really regrets having a boys night with them. Why bother when they always team up against him anyway? 

“I’m not”, he grumbles, pulling the bag of chips closer and trying not to think about meeting Daniel in the supermarket earlier. 

He looked _good_ without that suit, wearing black ripped jeans and some white hoodie, his black curls a mess and Max hates how his stomach flutters at the image. 

Hates how much he wants to hug him, to run his hand through the curls and how desperately he wants to kiss him. 

He plays with his powers, letting a few chips circle in front of him, the red kinetic energy swirling around his hands and he closes his eyes. 

The voice in his head which Max actually just wants to forget, a voice he actually never has wanted to hear again, keeps mocking him, yelling at him. Calling him weak for actually developing feelings and for acting like a bloody amateur. 

And that he should just kill Daniel Ricciardo, get over with it. 

Max swallows dryly, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth, silencing the voice in his head while he chews, staring at the TV where Lando put a movie on. Max isn’t paying attention though, too busy with drowning in his own thoughts and the way Daniel has smiled at him before. 

How his eyes always seem to light up when he sees him and that he always gets Max a Red Bull instead of coffee when he manages to knock him out again, keeping Max’s dislike for hot drinks in mind. 

He knows this can’t work, knows this is hopeless and that Daniel surely is just playing with him. Waiting for him to make a mistake to hand him over to the cops.

‘But he has had countless opportunities to do that already’, a voice in his head whispers and Max closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He doesn’t dare to hope. 

Boys like him don’t get a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀👀
> 
> Literally all I have to say kjsdksd 
> 
> Thank you all so so so much again for the support and I hope you have a lovely start in the week 💛💛💛💛


	4. Hurt Like Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is [Hurt Like Hell by Fleurie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUlX8ltm_JU)

The job really didn’t go like planned. Daniel grits his teeth, punching the man in front of him in the face before narrowly avoiding getting hit by a bullet, kicking the man behind him in the stomach. 

This was supposed to be a simple job, a quick ‘in and out’ before he’d go patrolling through another borough but instead he is currently fighting a whole base of crazy scientists and their guards. 

_”His name is Clark Baker, developing some chemical weapon for an unknown employer in the outskirts of London”, Michael explains, showing him the file on his laptop. “Get in, take him out and destroy the lab.”_

Well. Baker is dead but he did run into trouble in the lab and Daniel grits his teeth when something hard hits his stomach. He dodges another punch, kicking the attacker in front of him hard in the chest, sending him into the wall. 

He’s helplessly outnumbered and he takes a deep breath, pulling himself up while hiding behind some turned over desks. Bullets rain against the splintered wood in front of him and he wishes Hulk was here - his friend has the very useful ability to change the direction of projectiles midair. 

“Jeepers”, he mumbles when something explodes to his left and he jumps up, somehow managing to sprint across the room, taking down two more guys with his gun. What a shit show. 

“Need any help?” Out of nowhere, Max shows up next to him his red kinetic energy already conjured and Daniel doesn’t even question where he came from. 

“Would be appreciated”, he says through gritted teeth while dodging another bullet and Max smirks before unleashing his energy on their opponents. 

They work well together, Daniel has to admit, Max has his back and Daniel watches him fascinated for a moment, trying to catch his breath. 

Max is so _powerful_ and Daniel only realises now how much he held back before with him, easily moving the interior with his mind while blasting three guards into the left wall with one move of his hand. 

Daniel groans when a punch hits him in the stomach, it kicks him back into action and he returns the punch with more force, dislocating the guard’s jaw before shooting him. 

There’s a fire somewhere but Daniel doesn’t care - he was supposed to destroy the weapons anyway and he fights three guys at once, dodging another bullet before jumping, his martial arts training definitely coming as an advantage right now. 

Max can handle himself easily on his own, Daniel sees flashes of red through the room - Max is fast. And incredibly deadly. 

He forms balls of kinetic energy, throwing it against their enemies and Daniel manages to take out two guys, jumping, shooting and throwing more punches. 

There seem to be more and more guards flooding the room though and Daniel exchanges one look with Max, Max’s eyes glowing red, he’s vibrating with power and Daniel takes a deep breath.

They can do this. 

He turns around, ready to fight more when he feels the bullets hit his chest and he screams, sinking to the ground. 

-

Max’s head snaps up at Daniel’s scream and his blood runs cold when he sees him on the ground, bleeding, bullet wounds in his chest, a guy standing over him. 

No. No, no, no. 

Max abandons the guy he’s fighting at the moment, he’s at Daniel’s side in milliseconds, ripping the guy’s head off before sinking down next to Daniel. 

He’s barely breathing, his face grimacing in pain and Max smashes the guards who approach him from the right against the wall with a blast of kinetic energy, not even looking. 

“No, no, no, Daniel stay with me, I’m here, Dan, DAN-“

His voice breaks when he feels Daniel’s heartbeat weaken with every passing second, Max has never felt so powerless in his life and Dan gives him a weak smile. 

“‘S fine, Maxy”, he mutters weakly, his eyelids fluttering and Max shakes his head, his hands frantically roaming over his sides, tears collecting in his eyes, praying he could do something. 

Lando is talking to him over the coms but Max isn’t listening. 

“Dan, please-“ He chokes back a sob when Daniel’s eyes fall closed and he knows he needs to get them out of here. He can’t let him die, he can’t- 

Daniel’s heart stops beating, Max can’t feel his pulse anymore and he feels like someone punched him in the gut, a cold feeling settling in his stomach.

“No”, he whispers, tears streaming down his eyes and he feels the energy running through his veins. “NO!”

He keeps screaming, unleashing all of his energy around him, effectively killing every guard present, the building collapsing around them. 

Max protects Daniel and himself with a shield of kinetic energy, not giving a shit that literally every other person around him dies, people screaming and there’s a police siren in the background. 

It feels as if someone just ripped his heart out of his chest, he’s still crying, his energy destroying everything around him and he keeps holding Daniel’s hand, Daniel not breathing anymore. 

-

He decides to take him with him, disappearing with Daniel’s lifeless body into the night while the tears keep streaming down his face, the lump in his throat hurting more than anything. 

He feels numb, still holding Daniel’s hand while he walks through the dark streets, not meeting a single soul and he feels empty. Lost. Cold. 

Daniel has given his life purpose again, something to look forward to and he closes his eyes, overcome with sobs. He switched the connection to Lando off, not wanting to hear any words of condolences from his best friend. He doesn’t want to hear anyone if he’s being honest. 

He wants to be alone and they probably have to leave London anyway now that Daniel-

He can’t bring himself to even think about it and he sinks to the ground in the middle of the empty street, letting out another desperate scream, not caring if some of the neighbours see him and call the police. 

Kinetic energy surrounds him but Max keeps it close - he already caused too much damage tonight anyway. That doesn’t mean he isn’t ready to burn all of London to ashes if someone should try and touch him now. 

He keeps crying, holding on to Daniel’s hand, breaking down completely. 

Daniel was the only man he has ever loved after thinking he would never be able to love someone again and he lost him. He lost him like he lost everyone else and Max can feel his chest tightening, breathing becoming even harder.

He knows that’s a panic attack building up, knows he should switch the communication to Lando back on so his friend can talk him through it but honestly, all he wants right now is to die as well. To lay down on the cold street, let the panic wash over him - he deserves it. 

He failed Daniel, failed to protect him and he deserves this. 

He chokes back another sob but before the panic takes over completely, he feels something against his finger. Max freezes, drawing in a shaky breath. 

No. That’s impossible, his brain is fucking with him-

He carefully lifts his hand to Daniel’s throat but there is a weak pulse, his heart is beating and Max stares at him, frozen in shock. 

That’s impossible.

_”Superhuman healing abilities, baby.”_

Daniel’s voice appears in his mind and Max stares at him, his breath hitching in his throat. But- he was _dead_ \- 

_”I’m very hard to kill.”_

But the pulse stays, his heartbeat is weak but it’s there and Max jumps up. If there is just a slight chance that Daniel will survive this he’ll take it and he runs home, Daniel floating supported by his energy next to him, his heartbeat staying.

-

Lando screams when he opens the door before hugging him tightly, he’s crying and Charles looks equally done, his face pale while he hugs Max, calling him a stupid reckless idiot. 

“Do you know how much you scared us when you screamed and the communication was dead?”, he says with a hoarse voice but Max just pushes past him, gently lowering Daniel on the sofa. He’s still bleeding, his eyes closed, but there’s also still a heartbeat. 

There’s still hope.

“You brought him with you?!” Lando stares at the body, his eyes wide and red while Charles shakes his head, pacing through the room. “Are you _insane_ , if they find us with his dead body-“

“He’s not dead”, Max whispers, his voice cracking. “Not yet. There’s still a heartbeat.”

“But we heard you beg, we heard your scream-“

“Because there was no heartbeat for a while”, Max interrupts him, sinking on his knees next to the sofa, still holding on to Daniel’s hand, the weak heartbeat he feels is the only thing that stops him from going insane and there’s a lump in his throat. “I don’t know- he said something about superhuman healing abilities once but-“

He shakes his head, holding on to Daniel’s hand for dear life, not noticing the quick look Charles and Lando exchange. 

“We thought you died”, Lando then whispers, his voice breaking. “We thought-“

Max turns around, his heart hurting when he sees his best friend crying again and he opens his arms. Lando throws himself against his chest, hugging him tightly again while Charles keeps glaring at him and Max swallows dryly.

“I’m sorry”, he mumbles, beckoning Charles over as well and after a moment of hesitation Charles rolls his eyes and sighs, sitting down next to them and joining their group hug. 

Max stares at Daniel’s lifeless body, his chest is still rising and falling and there’s a heartbeat but that’s the only sign that he’s alive and he buries his face against Charles’ chest, desperation threatening to overwhelm him. 

“So what do we do?”, Lando asks and Charles shrugs. 

“There’s blood on our sofa”, he says dryly, half-glaring at Max who just rolls his eyes. “And?”

“Do you know how hard it is to get blood out of-“

“Charles”, Max interrupts him with a strained voice, his grip around Daniel’s hand involuntarily tightening, “keep talking and I _will_ kill you.” 

It’s quiet for a second, Charles glaring at him and Lando gets up, running a hand through his hair while staring at Daniel. 

“One of us should’ve done that internship at the hospital I suggested”, he grumbles and he starts pacing through the room. “We need to get the bullets out.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?! Babe, no one of us has any medical experience-“

“Yes, _I know_.” Lando glares at him before his eyes fall back on Daniel and he takes a deep breath. “That’s exactly why I wanted us to do the internship.”

He has always been the one who acts the calmest during real crisis situations - Max finds it a bit hard to believe given that Lando is so chaotic most of the time but right now he’s grateful for it. 

Max bites his lips, Daniel’s injuries are not healing and he tries to ignore the cold feeling in his belly. Dan is alive, somehow, maybe only because of his kinetic energy surrounding them since hours but he couldn’t care less. 

Lando is right, they need to get the bullets out. 

“Call Alex”, he orders quietly, his eyes not leaving Daniel’s face. “Tell him it’s urgent and we need him. _Now_.”

He doesn’t know if Alex can actually help them, he’s still studying Medicine while working in a hospital as a nurse but he’s their best shot. Their only shot. 

He hears Lando shuffling around in the background, quietly talking to someone on the phone but Max doesn’t look up, not letting go of Daniel’s hand. 

He can’t lose him. 

-

Alex manages to get all the bullets out of his chest, Max watches with a stoic expression on his face while Charles leaves the room (“Yeah no, that’s not something I have to see, thank you very much”) and when Alex pulls out the last one, dropping it into the small, already bloody, metal bowl next to him, he lets out a deep breath. 

“Thank god”, he mumbles, there’s still blood on his hands (it’s literally everywhere if Max is being honest) and while his hands were shaking in the beginning, they’re steady now, bandaging up the wounds. 

“Will he be okay?”, Max asks, his voice not giving anything away and Alex frowns. “With every normal human, I would have said no. But every normal human also would’ve died immediately after getting that many bullets in their chest and he’s not really normal, is he?”

He gives him a crooked grin when Max shakes his head. “See? So I guess he will be. His heart is beating and I really have no experience in how to save superheroes.” 

Max ignores his last comment, relief flooding him and Lando gives Alex a small smile. “Thanks, mate.”

“Yeah, we owe you”, Charles adds, throwing another glare towards Max - he’s still pissed he brought Daniel back. Max gets it but he also doesn’t care and Alex nods, packing his things up. “No problem. Call me if you need anything else.”

Max nods and Alex leaves the room, Lando and Charles bringing him to the door. 

“Jesus, Daniel”, Max mumbles when he’s alone, the tears are back and he draws in a shaky breath. “You scared me there, you big Australian idiot.” 

He shakes his head, breathing is a bit easier now that the bullets are out and the heartbeat is still there but he is still scared. Scared to lose him like he lost-

“Step away from him, _right now_ ”, a voice says quietly behind him, a threatening edge to it and Max freezes, instinctively summoning his kinetic energy when he looks up. 

Hulk and another guy Max doesn’t know but figures is Michael, are standing in the door, Hulk holding a knife to Lando’s throat while Michael holds Charles back with an iron grip, a murderous expression in his eyes.

Max takes a deep breath, his eyes locking with Lando’s. “Do you need any help?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Lando grins before he forcefully elbows Hulk in the stomach, quickly turning himself out of his grip and taking the knife. He pulls Hulk‘s legs away, the man falling to the ground and Lando jumps on him to sit on his chest, knife against Hulk’s throat.

Charles used the moment of surprise to kick Michael in the balls, quickly stepping next to Max while his attacker groans, sinking on his knees and Max raises his eyebrows before looking back towards Hulk. “You’re Knife Guy.” 

“Hulk.” 

“Yeah, whatever.” Max waves dismissively before he looks at Michael, raising his left hand with a ball of kinetic energy, giving him a challenging look. “Try something and I’ll blast you into the wall.”

“You killed Daniel!”, Michael hisses, his eyes falling on the body of his best friend on the sofa. “You fucking killed him-“

“I didn’t, okay?!”, Max interrupts him coldly, he can feel his temper flare up and he takes a deep breath, the lump in his throat back. “I did not kill him, I tried saving his ass!”

“Why-“

“Because I care about him, okay?!”, Max yells, tears streaming down his face and he glares at them. “He got fucking shot, I tried saving him, he didn’t have a heartbeat when I got us out of there and then there suddenly was one-“

“Did you get the bullets out?”, Michael interrupts him, an urgent undertone in his voice and Max blinks confused, nodding. “Yeah, but-“

“Oh thank god.” Michael sinks back on the floor, taking a deep breath and Max slowly lowers his hand, relaxing a little. These two aren’t really a threat and he can’t really blame them - he _is_ the bad guy in all of this. 

And they just wanted to avenge their friend. 

Max would’ve done exactly the same and he draws in a shaky breath, exchanging a quick look with Charles and Lando. 

“I think this is yours”, Charles then says, reaching for the knife on the table and throwing it at Hulk. He catches it effortlessly, letting it slide into his pocket and Max bites his lip, searching Michael’s gaze. 

“So he’ll be okay?” He hates how insecure he sounds but he can still kill them both later - all he cares about right now is Daniel. And if they’re his friends they can’t be that bad, right? 

_”Every single one of these heroes is a lying bastard. Don’t believe anything that comes out of their mouths and never trust them.”_

Max ignores the voice in his head, fixating on Michael and trying his best to appear confident. He never wanted this much drama, he always just wanted Daniel and Michael nods slowly. 

“He should be. We don’t know if he really can’t die - we didn’t test it for obvious reasons - but he got shot in the military after- you know.” He averts his gaze and Max frowns. 

That is something Daniel has never mentioned before. 

“No, I don’t know”, he says, maybe a bit harsher than he intended to but Michael just sighs. “It’s not my place to tell you but he did get shot before and the second we got the bullets out his body started healing itself again.”

“How long does it take?”, Max asks quietly, waving at Lando to get off of Hulk - they have bigger problems right now. Lando sighs before sliding off him, sitting down next to Charles and Hulk glares at him before helping Michael up. 

“Don’t know, how many bullets?”

“Ten.”

Michael draws in a sharp breath, his eyes falling back on Daniel’s body and he takes a deep breath. “Ten days.”

“What?!”

“One day for each bullet is our rule of thumb at the moment.” Michael shrugs before he gives Max a wary look. “We thought you kidnapped him - or killed him. Kept him prisoner.”

“Can’t blame you, Max has been obsessed with that guy for months now”, Charles mumbles behind him and Max kicks him, desperately trying not to blush. 

“Tell me about it, Daniel couldn’t shut up about him.” Hulk rolls his eyes but there’s a small smile on his face when he looks at his friend and Max stares at him, his heart involuntarily beating faster. 

He’s joking, right? Or Daniel was just complaining, what-

“You can stay if you want”, Lando says at that moment, a small smile on his lips. “To make sure Max doesn’t accidentally kill him.” 

Max doesn’t have the energy to protest, just nodding while Charles pulls a face and Michael crosses his arms in front of his chest. 

“Alright. Doesn’t mean we trust you, though.”

That feeling is mutual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are all so lovely honestly thank you so much for the feedback it means the world to me 💛💛💛💛


	5. Cruel World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is [Cruel World by Active Child](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reDTxvuj7UQ)

Max doesn’t leave Daniel’s side during the whole night, staying on the floor next to him, too scared to let go of his hand. Too scared what will happen if he does. Too scared to not feel that heartbeat again. 

He doesn’t eat, not touching the food Lando brings him the next morning - he’s not hungry and he knows he won’t get anything down. He stretches his legs a little, his thumb caressing the back of Daniel’s hand, fighting against the sleepiness. Daniel’s body temperature is still warm and Max counts that as a positive sign. 

“You really care about him, don’t you?” Hulk’s voice makes him flinch, he didn’t hear him come in and Max looks up. Hulk is leaning in the doorway, his hair ruffled and he plays with a knife in his hand, letting it flick around his fingers. 

Max swallows dryly, too tired to feel threatened or threaten Hulk in return, just nodding and looking back at Daniel’s face. A few cuts on his face have already healed and it makes Max breathe a little easier. 

“He cares about you too.” Hulk slowly comes closer and Max slowly turns his head again when he realises that he spoke Dutch. A language he hasn’t heard nor spoken in a long time. 

“You-“ He cuts himself off, not sure what to say and Hulk smiles, sitting down on the other sofa. 

“Grew up close to the border to the Netherlands and had many Dutch friends”, he explains, shrugging. “Haven’t spoken it for a while though.”

“Me neither.” Max stares out of the window, the sun slowly rising again and he closes his eyes, trying to suppress all the memories that come back with the familiar language. 

They’re quiet for a long time, Max just staring out of the window, feeling numb while holding Daniel’s hand, his mind too restless to let him sleep. He doesn’t turn around to see if Hulk is still there, he doesn’t have to - he feels his presence behind him. 

Funnily enough, it doesn’t threaten Max as much as it probably should. 

He actually likes his company, he relaxes a little and when Hulk gets up after two hours he pats him on the back, giving him a short smile. “He’ll be fine.”

The words, spoken in such familiar Dutch, nearly make Max tear up and he just nods before turning away, biting his bottom lip so hard he can taste blood. He can hear Hulk closing the door behind him and Max holds back a sob, letting the tears fall. 

He is such a mess, _this_ is all such a mess. 

He spends the day by Daniel’s side, ignoring everyone around him, only eating a bit of toast after Charles yelled at him that he “won’t let his dumb ass starve”, somehow forcing it down with a can of Red Bull. 

Michael and Hulk seem to be getting along with Lando and Charles, they at least haven’t killed each other yet and Max counts that as a success but if he’s being honest he also doesn’t really care what they do. 

His whole focus is on the man in front of him and he flinches heavily when the pressure at his hand suddenly gets returned. His eyes snap up and more tears run down his cheeks when he sees that Daniel is awake and looking at him, a pained smile on his face. 

“Max?! Oh thank god you’re okay”, he mumbles, his voice hoarse and barely audible. He tries moving but winces and Max shakes his head, gently pushing him down again while crying. 

“Don’t”, he whispers, his voice breaking. “You need to rest.” 

“You’re the last one I expected”, Daniel jokes weakly and Max forces himself to smile with tears in his eyes, shrugging. “Couldn’t leave your ass to die there, right?”

Daniel just squeezes his hand, his brown eyes are soft and Max swallows dryly. 

“Sleep”, he mumbles, “you look like you need it.” 

“Michael and Hulk?”

“Broke into my house, threatened Lando and Charles and are having dinner with them right now in the room next to us.” 

Dan snorts but closes his eyes again, not letting go of his hand and Max takes a deep breath.

-

“How are you feeling?”, Michael asks, a concerned expression on his face while he squats down next to Dan, handing him a water bottle. Daniel shrugs, wincing when he tries to move and Max bites his lips, trying not to worry too much. 

He’ll be fine. 

“Like I just died”, Daniel says dryly and while Max holds back a smile, Michael rolls his eyes. 

“You’re as insufferable as always”, he comments but Max doesn’t miss the small smile that’s tugging on his lips. 

It’s been two days since Daniel woke up for the first time and after Michael yelled at him for being a reckless idiot (deserved, Max thinks) and Hulk squeezed Daniel’s hand so hard Max was sure he was going to break it (he didn’t thankfully), Lando and Charles got to met him for the first time as well. 

It went pretty well, Lando handed Daniel some painkillers with a small smile while Charles had been an idiot as always (“So you’re the guy Max has a crush on” - let’s just say Max was close to killing him after that) and Daniel seems to slowly get better. 

Michael also seems to slowly accept Max a bit more (funny, given that they’re still in Max’s home) while Hulk, Charles and Lando get along easily, chatting and talking about past missions and jobs. 

Lando brings Daniel more painkillers, handing them to him and Daniel gives him a warm smile before swallowing them, falling back in the pillows. He did eat a bit of toast with Max this morning, chewing slowly before swallowing - Michael said it’s a success that he didn’t vomit. 

“Thanks”, Daniel mumbles and Lando nods, giving him another smile before disappearing again - probably to Charles and Hulk. Max and Michael stay, both keeping an eye on Daniel who reaches for Max’s hand - they’ve done that quite often in the last few days.

Holding hands.

And Daniel didn’t hold hands with Michael when he was next to him. 

Max tries not to interpret too much into it. 

“Can you tell me something to distract me from the pain?”, Daniel mumbles, giving Max a weak smile while getting comfortable, groaning when he moves a bit too fast. “Anything.”

“What do you want to know?” Max frowns, crossing his legs and Daniel shrugs. “Don’t care, I’m just glad the kid got me some painkillers.”

That actually gives Max an idea and he clears his throat. He knows Lando will be okay with what he’s going to say now and his best friend is busy anyway - there’s music coming from the kitchen and they’re apparently cooking. 

“So I’m sure you’ve heard the rumours of how Lando joined us.” Max smiles bitterly, his hand running through Daniel’s dark curls before he can stop himself and he stares at a spot across from him on the wall. “I’ll never forget the day my father brought him home.”

-

Max frowns when he hears a noise from downstairs, people shouting, someone barking orders and he slowly gets up from his bed. His father had been away during the day, not telling him where he went and Max slowly opens the door to his room, making his way downstairs into the foyer. 

He freezes at the top of the stairs when he sees all the guards, a boy - or rather a teenager - next to his father and he looks absolutely terrified. He’s in chains, there are dried tear tracks on his face and Max stares at him stunned. 

What-

“Max!”, his father barks at that moment and Max flinches, a mask of indifference slipping over his face while he walks down the stairs. “Yes?”

The boy doesn’t even look up at the sound of his voice, he seems completely broken, still crying silently while Jos has his hand on the back of his neck - Max shivers inwardly. 

He knows what his father is capable of. 

“This”, Jos pushes the boy forward a little so he falls onto his knees, “is Lando Norris.” His father sounds proud and Max stares at him with a blank look on his face while he tries not to look at Lando. 

A very odd sense of protectiveness for the kid washes over him and he takes a deep breath, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “What about him?”

He has never heard the name Lando Norris before and his father scoffs. “He’s 16 and already a genius. He’ll be very valuable for us in the future. Bring him to his room.” 

He gives the guards a signal and they take the crying boy away, Max staring after them with a shocked expression, a cold feeling spreading through him. He can’t be serious. 

He can’t-

“What about his family?”, he asks, following his father into his office but Jos just rolls his eyes while sitting down behind his desk. “Dead.”

Max stares at him, blinking slowly. 

“Did you kill them?”, he asks quietly and he flinches when Jos looks up, his eyes cold. “Does it matter?”

They stare at each other for a moment, the tension hanging heavy in the air before Max averts his eyes, taking a shaky breath. “No.”

He’s not that dumb to talk back or challenge his own father. 

“Good. You’re dismissed.” Jos turns his attention back to his files, not sparing his son another glance and Max swallows dryly before he leaves the office, quietly closing the door behind him. 

His father kidnapped a 16-year-old boy. His father most likely killed the boy’s entire family, ripped him away from everything he knows and before Max even realises it he’s standing in front of the boy’s door on the second floor. 

They don’t have many spare rooms in the house, the guards in front of the door telling Max he’s at the right place and he gives them a short look. 

“I want to talk to him”, he says quietly, his voice steady. “You can leave.” 

The guards know better than to disobey him, only nodding before leaving and Max takes another deep breath. He knocks gently before he slips into the room, closing the door behind him and what he sees breaks his heart. 

Lando is curled into a small ball on the bed, his hands are not in chains anymore but his wrists turned an angry red, bruises forming on his skin and he looks like he tried putting up a fight. 

Max could’ve told him that it’s useless. 

He slowly comes closer, not wanting to frighten Lando more - he still feels protective over him and he slowly sits down next to him on the bed, not daring to touch him. 

Lando reminds him of a frightened animal and he has no idea what to do. 

“Hello”, he says quietly and he nervously bites his lips. He hasn’t had much contact with people his age when he grew up, his father always keeping him away from everyone. “I’m Max.”

Lando looks up, he’s crying again and he moves back, pulling the blanket over him as if it could protect him, clearly scared of him. 

Max's heart breaks again. 

“I won’t hurt you”, he adds, “I promise.” 

He doesn’t know what else to say. 

‘Sorry my father kidnapped you?’ Yeah, probably not. 

“He killed them”, Lando whispers, his eyes wide and there’s so much fear in them that Max has the sudden urge to hug him. “He killed them. My Mama, my Dad, my little sisters, my older brother-“

He breaks down crying again and Max doesn’t think anymore, pulling him into his arms. To his surprise Lando immediately clings onto him, crying and burying his face in Max’s neck, his body shaken by sobs. 

Max closes his eyes, a lump forming in his throat and he caresses Lando’s back, holding him close. His father has done many, many bad things before: murder, rape, having terrorist allies. 

Experimented with chemical weapons, committed war crimes, tried taking over the world. 

Took whatever he wanted without asking for it, treating everyone including Max like shit. 

Max has always just wanted a way out and Lando- he might be exactly what he was looking for. 

“I’ll get us out of here”, he promises, more to himself than to Lando, a tear running down his cheek and he hugs Lando tighter. “I promise, we’ll get back to him Lando.” 

Lando doesn’t answer or question that, just crying more but he doesn’t have to say anything - he tightens his hug and Max holds him, swearing himself to protect him from absolutely everything. 

They become friends during the next two years, Lando trusting Max nearly immediately and while some might have seen it as naive- Max just finds it admirable. 

That boy has lost everything, got thrown into a cold and cruel world he never wanted to be a part of, gets forced to work for one of the most dangerous men on the planet, indirectly has the blood of hundreds on his hands thanks to that and yet he still trusts Max, still kept his kind heart and his happiness. It took a while for that last part to come back but it’s there and Max makes sure his father never touches Lando. 

It got him into trouble, for sure - there’s a scar over his right shoulder blade that came from Max standing up to his father for Lando and his father has a thing for knives. 

All the years he didn’t have anything to fight for, not since- 

All the years, he got numb to the pain, following his father’s orders seemed easier than fighting back. 

But Lando gave his life a purpose, a friend, someone he actually trusts and Max would burn the whole of Amsterdam to the ground if that meant keeping his best friend safe. 

It nearly gets himself killed keeping Lando safe but it’s so worth it and Max only realises how much he needed someone like Lando when Lando jokes around with him while cooking dinner, teasing him for not liking hot drinks and then playing video games with him after. 

His father has no idea about all of that, has no reason to not trust him and Max makes sure it stays that way, playing along on the front when he’s with him. In front of everyone else, he’s the perfect son, the perfect weapon - everything his Dad has ever wanted from him. 

Lando, in front of everyone else, is nothing more to Max than someone who works for them, the technical genius who follows orders without questioning them, too scared of the consequences. 

His father never made a mistake but bringing Lando, a now 18-year-old technical genius, a guy who can easily hack himself into every government and every database in the world, into Max’s life has been the biggest mistake of his life. 

It’s a mistake he’ll pay with his life for. 

-

“I hope it was really you who killed that bastard”, Daniel mumbles, he’s nearly half-asleep and Max forces himself to smile, ignoring the lump in his throat. 

“That’s a story for another day”, he mumbles, pulling the blanket over Daniel, tucking him in and when he realises that Dan is already asleep he presses his face against his chest, letting the tears fall freely, half-hugging him. 

He doesn’t notice Michael staring at him with shock and sympathy in his eyes and neither does he notice Lando standing in the door, hugged by Charles while Hulk is next to them, all of them looking at Max, Lando having a sad smile on his face. 

-

Daniel would lie if he said he feels great. He actually feels like shit but while he seems to live on Max’s sofa now he also couldn’t wish for a better place to recover. 

It’s Day Eight since he got shot, he’s slowly getting better and he wants to protest when Max squats down next to him, taking care of his injuries but Max brushes his protest off with a harsh “don’t be an idiot and let me” before disinfecting the wounds. 

He helps him up after and they somehow make it to the bathroom, Max easily supporting him - Daniel never noticed how strong he actually is. He’s still shaky on his legs and he leans against Max, them slowly making their way through the flat. 

It’s messy but cosy, clothes and hundreds of gadgets laying around, Daniel catches a glimpse of a few computers in one of the rooms they pass but then they reach a spacious bathroom and he sinks on the edge of the bathtub, taking a deep breath. 

That has been more exhausting than he thought. 

It’s been a while that he has been that heavily injured and Max hesitates, reaching for a towel. 

“Can you lean back? I want to wash your hair”, he says, biting his lips and Daniel stares at him, his brain trying to catch up with what just happened. 

“There’s still blood and dirt in it and I thought it would be nice to wash it out and-“ Max is rambling and it’s the cutest thing ever, Daniel thinks, a soft smile on his lips and he nods, somehow trying to find a comfortable position. 

Max sits down next to him, reaching for the showerhead before he starts washing his hair, his hand gently going through his curls, his nails scratching his scalp and Daniel involuntarily closes his eyes. 

He ignores how intimate this feels, just enjoying the feeling of Max’s hands on his head and while he’s sure he’s just imagining it: the pain seems to lessen a bit. 

Or maybe it’s just Max’s kinetic energy, Daniel doesn’t know but he also doesn’t care. All he cares about is having Max so close and while he has no idea what this is for them it feels good. What they have makes him feel warm and fuzzy (when he’s not currently in pain) and he still can’t believe Max got him out of there. 

Saved his life, risking everything for him. 

Alright, maybe not everything, Max is clearly more powerful than he lets everyone believe he is but still.

Daniel doesn’t think anyone has ever made a building collapse because they thought he was dead. 

He feels oddly touched by that even though he knows they’re probably hunted by every police officer in London right now and he takes a deep breath, pushing the worry back. 

They can still worry about that when he’s back at his full strength and Max stills, his hand still in his hair though.

“What was it like?”, Max asks quietly and Daniel cracks one eye open, blinking at the bright light above him. Max’s blue eyes are calm, there’s no storm in them tonight and his forehead is wrinkled, he seems nervous. 

Daniel wants to reach out and touch his cheek but he doesn’t, instead adjusting his body on the bathtub a little and clears his throat. “What?”

“Dying.” Max is still looking at him, honest curiosity in his eyes and Daniel frowns, moving a little closer to Max. Max doesn’t seem to mind the closeness, just wrapping one wet arm around him and Daniel takes a deep breath, the scent of Max’s aftershave surrounding him. 

It calms him, in an odd way.

It feels like home.

“It’s ... pure darkness. And pain. I was somehow unconscious, not knowing what was going on around me but I felt the pain.” Daniel stares at the tiles on the bathroom wall, leaning his head against Max’s chest. “And I remember everything.”

They’re quiet for a while, Max’s hand still running through his hair and when Daniel starts to shiver Max gets him a towel, gently rubbing his hair dry, wrapping another fluffy one around him to stop him from getting goosebumps. 

“Thank you”, Daniel says quietly when Max carries him back to the living room (he really doesn’t have to and yet- Daniel can’t help but be impressed at Max’s strength) and Max gives him a small smile. “No problem.” 

He gently lowers him on the sofa, tucking him under the blanket, ignoring Daniel’s protest that he’s 31 and really doesn’t need to be babied (he ignores the voice in him that says he actually really likes it) before handing him a mug with an almond milk flat white.

Daniel can’t hold back the smile that’s spreading over his face and he falls back into the pillows that smell like Max and make all of this so much better. Make breathing so much easier. 

Lando brought him some food this morning, Dan really likes the kid (and feels so incredibly sorry for him after everything Max told him) and Charles seems fun too. 

And he said Max has a crush on him. 

Daniel might have not been completely awake at that point but he remembers how his heart had beat faster and Max had blushed furiously, kicking Charles out of the room. 

Charles hasn’t brought the topic up anymore though and Daniel doesn’t want to pry and things are complicated anyway and he takes a sip from his coffee.

Max hasn’t left his side in the past eight days, keeping an eye on him and it means more to Daniel than he would ever admit. Max is still a mystery to him (one he really wants to solve) but he’s so _kind_ and genuinely funny and just- he’s so lovely. 

Daniel dozes off, surrounded by blankets and warmth and Max’s hand holding his again, grounding him, keeping him in the present. 

When he wakes up in the middle of the night Max is sleeping, he is facing him and he’s snoring quietly. He’s laying on the extra mattress next to the sofa they got so he doesn’t have to sleep on the floor, his blanket a mess and Daniel leans forward, gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain while tucking Max in. 

He looks so peaceful when he sleeps. 

So innocent. 

Max’s hand is outstretched towards Daniel and he can’t hold back a smile.

“He really cares about you.” Daniel flinches when he hears Michael’s quiet voice and he looks up, spotting his best friend sitting in an armchair next to a tall standard lamp, the light throwing long shadows on his face. 

He looks tired, Daniel notices. 

Tired and worried. 

He can’t help but feel a little bit guilty about that - he knows what he put Michael (and Hulk, for that matter) through in the last week and he shifts a little. Moving doesn’t hurt that much anymore apart from the occasional sting and the sore muscles and he knows it’ll only take one or two more days until he’s completely fine again. 

“I care about him too”, Daniel then answers quietly, looking back at Max and he smiles involuntarily. “A lot.”

“I know.” Michael sighs and Dan looks up, a frown on his face. “Is that a problem?” 

He sounds challenging but Michael ignores it, just shaking his head. “No. I’m just worried.”

“About me?”

“You both. You know who he is, Daniel.” Michael looks at him calmly, his brown eyes filled with worry. “And the things he did.”

“He is nothing like his father.” Daniel’s voice has a hard edge to it and he instinctively takes Max’s hand, having the sudden urge to protect him. He looks so innocent- 

“I _know_ ”, Michael says, he sounds tired and Daniel looks back at him but before he can say something his friend continues talking. “I know. I’ve spent enough time around him in the last eight days to know he’s different. But that doesn’t change what he has done in the past. Or what he might do in the future.”

Daniel doesn’t know what to say to that, his throat tightening and he falls back into the pillows, tears prickling in his eyes. He’s glad it’s dark in the room so Michael doesn’t notice anything and he turns around, pulling the blanket over his head, reluctantly letting go of Max’s hand. 

His heart wants nothing more than to cuddle with Max, his head hurts from all the possible ‘What If’s’ and he closes his eyes, pretending to be asleep again.

He gets where Michael is coming from and the fact that it all makes so much sense just makes it worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💛
> 
> all I have to say ksjdksd thank you all so much for the support 💛💛💛


	6. Going Down Fighting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is [Going Down Fighting by Phlotilla, Andrea Wasse & Topher Mohr](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCRXobvs9_I)

“I always imagined dying is peaceful”, Max says the next day when they’re having dinner, picking in his food before he looks up, hesitating. “I mean-“

He stops and Dan gives him a soft smile, crossing his legs. They’re alone, Hulk went out with Charles and Michael while Lando is coordinating their patrol from the other room. 

Someone has to make sure the city is alright after all. 

“I never actually died”, Dan answers, keeping his voice light while he pushes his pasta around, “and I don’t know what could kill me, to be honest. I wanted to try a few things but Michael was against it.”

“With good reason”, Max mumbles and he bites his lips. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Dan shrugs and Max takes a deep breath before he searches his gaze and holds it. “How did you become like that?”

His eyes travel over Dan’s body and Daniel frowns. “You mean like how I got my powers?”

“Yeah.” Max is still looking at him, genuine curiosity in his eyes and Daniel swallows, the grip around his fork tightening a bit while his stomach clenches. 

“Well that’s a way to start small talk, Maxy”, he jokes weakly and Max bites his lips but doesn’t look away. 

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it”, he says quickly, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, “it’s just I’ve never met someone like me. Or never long enough to have a conversation with them.” 

Daniel figured that - Jos Verstappen had made a habit of killing superheroes, of making an example out of them. 

Daniel doesn’t know if Max has ever killed ‘one of them’.

_”But that doesn’t change what he has done in the past. Or what he might do in the future.”_

He takes a deep breath, Michael’s words ringing in his ears and he pushes his plate away - he needs answers. And the only way to get them is to be brutally honest. 

“I signed up for the Australian Military when I was 18”, he starts, his food long forgotten - he’s not hungry anymore. “I didn’t know what to do with my life and it seemed like a good choice at that time. Steady income, staying fit, having a somewhat organised life, serving my country, all that jazz.”

What an idiot he has been. 

“I met Michael during my time there, we became friends and life seemed good for a while. I made my way up the ranks, I was even Captain in the end.” He smiles bitterly before he throws Max a quick look. “And if you make one Captain America joke-“

“I mean you’re Australian so wouldn’t that make you Captain Australia?”, Max replies dryly and Dan snorts, flipping him off. He knows how similar his story is to that fucking Marvel movie (except that he wasn’t a scrawny kid that desperately wanted to fight during World War II) and Max bites his lip. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dan sighs before he gets up, bringing his plate to the sink and Max follows him swiftly. They wash the dishes in silence, Daniel’s mind racing. He realises he _wants_ to tell Max, _wants_ to share his story with someone else and he pulls him on the sofa after they’re done, taking a deep breath. 

“They sent me to Afghanistan“, he continues and he stares out of the window, his mind ten years in the past. “And after a while, they figured they’d need some kind of ‘super-soldier’ to fight the terrorists.” 

He shakes his head, the resentment against his former General still present and he flinches when Max takes his hand, his thumb gently brushing over his knuckles. 

Daniel takes a deep breath, squeezing his hand - it helps him to stay grounded. A reminder that whatever happened is in the past. 

“For whatever reason they chose me and it wasn’t like I had much of a say. They told me I was a chosen one, I had potential, was special. That it was my duty to protect my country. I was twenty-five and believed that bullshit.”

Max squeezes his hand a bit tighter and it helps him to stay focused. 

“They did some experiments on me, injected some fucking serum or whatever and it hurt like hell - I don’t know exactly what they did or what they tried to do but I definitely didn’t change much physically during it, I’ve always been quite fit. After I woke up again they sent me back into the field - alone.”

Daniel shudders involuntarily at the memory and Max quietly pulls the blanket over them, hesitating for a second before moving closer. 

“I don’t know what they expected, to be honest, maybe me single-handedly taking out a complete terrorist base or some shit like that. Didn’t happen though. They shot me immediately and my squad left me behind to die, labelling the mission as failed - Operation Slipper ended that year.” Daniel closes his eyes and Max puts an arm around him, still not saying anything - Daniel appreciates it. 

“I didn’t get much faster or stronger with whatever serum they injected in me and it was basically me against fifty opponents - I was lucky I only caught three bullets.” He chews on his bottom lip and Max stares at him. “They really sent you _alone_?!”

“Yep.” Dan shrugs, fiddling with the hem of the blanket. “Michael came back for me, at least wanted to retrieve my body so I could get a proper funeral - he’s a good guy. Turned out I wasn’t dead though, he was able to feel a heartbeat.”

He grimaces. 

“As you may have noticed, my body heals incredibly fast and it takes a lot to actually kill me. Michael got the bullets out and two days later I was fine.”

“He saved your life”, Max concludes quietly but Dan shrugs. “That or he saved me from years of torture from our enemies or being buried alive. After I paid my parents a quick visit to let them know that I am, in fact, not dead we left Australia behind and came to Europe - Michael stayed with me, refusing to leave me alone.”

“And now you’re fighting crime by night”, Max says dryly and Dan shrugs. “I rather go after bad people on my own without anyone telling me what to do. I don’t want to fight some stupid war, I wanna choose myself who I kill.”

He swallows dryly, avoiding to look at Max.

“Of course I’m there if there’s a ... bigger threat or something like that, Seb, my friend at Scotland Yard, keeps me updated. And I still love Australia and all. But I’m done with the military and governments meddling with each other.”

They’re quiet for a while after, Max’s face not giving anything away when he turns to him. “So your family knows?”

“Mate, I love my parents more than anything, I couldn’t do that to them.” Daniel clears his throat, trying to suppress the tears that threaten to build up. “And obviously my supervisors got to know I didn’t die but they don’t care - I made it pretty clear I don’t want to go back. Told them I was lucky and that their experiment didn’t work. They promised they’d leave me alone if I stayed quiet about what they tried to do to me.” 

“They just let you go like that?!”

“Michael got us some evidence before destroying the rest and they know they’re fucked if the public ever gets to know about this.” Daniel can’t help but smirk, he’s really grateful Michael took care of all that - he’s pretty sure he would be lost without him. 

“Why Europe?”, Max asks, frowning. “Isn’t America a better option for someone with your powers?”

“And somehow get myself working for another Secret Intelligence Service? No thanks.” Daniel grimaces. “Europe seemed saver back then and the MI6 leaves me alone. Michael and I trained on our combat skills, he taught me some martial arts and I don’t know. Here we are.” 

He sighs, he feels empty, drained like every time he talks about his past - but today he also feels a bit lighter. Max‘s arm is still around his shoulder and it makes Daniel feel oddly safe. 

“So there you have it, my tragic backstory.” He sounds bitterer than he means to and he runs a hand through his curls. “And before you ask, I haven’t seen my family since. I call them sometimes but that’s it.”

He tries not to think about his Mum, knowing it’s better if he doesn’t show up and puts them in danger. He doesn’t trust his former bosses, not completely and it’s better to stay away from home. 

Then again he doesn’t really have a home anymore. 

Doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss them like hell.

“I’m sorry”, Max says quietly, his blue eyes clouded and Daniel shrugs again. There’s nothing that could change the past and he has made his peace with it - more or less.

“So you only ever got shot?”, Max asks and Daniel frowns, thinking. “Not just that. I also fell out of windows on higher floors, broke quite some bones and got stabbed. I was fine every time but I never got ten bullets into my chest - getting shot hurts.”

“I know.” Max stares at the dark TV screen and Daniel frowns. It’s nothing unusual that Max might have been shot as well in the past, their ... ‘job’ isn’t exactly safe. 

But there’s something bitter in Max’s voice, a dark look in his eyes and Daniel gets a bad feeling in his stomach. 

“Why do they call you The Lion?”, he asks, trying to somehow get to know more about Max. To finally figure out that mystery, to get more information. Michael said it’s because he fights like a lion, but-

“Because of the scars on my arm.” Max is still not looking at him, his voice passive and Daniel frowns. 

He never noticed any scars on Max’s arm- but now that he thinks about it he realises that he only ever saw Max wear hoodies, long-sleeved shirts or his suit. 

Max sighs before he turns towards him and he pulls the sleeve of his hoodie back, revealing the skin on his right arm and Daniel involuntarily draws in a sharp breath. 

He has seen his fair share of injuries during his time but the five long scars on Max’s arm look bad. They’re a bit faded but clearly visible and remind Daniel a bit of the one scar on his thigh. 

“What-“ He stops, not sure what to say and Max leans back, his face still passive. “Let’s just say my father definitely wouldn’t have won Father of the Year.” 

“I ... figured”, Daniel says slowly, still staring at the scars - they look like a lion pushed his claws deep into Max’s lower arm and pulled and he can only imagine how painful it must have been. He also has a faint idea of what caused them. 

“He has always been ... like that.” Max makes an undefined gesture, his voice surprisingly calm. “Evil and that shit. Trained me when I was a child ‘to make a man out of me’. Well, he called it training, I call it abuse.”

“What did he do?” Daniel stares at him, the sudden urge to protect Max present again even though he knows it’s ridiculous - all that happened in the past, Max is a grown man now. 

Still.

“He basically gave me some sort of military training from the age of six on.” Max shrugs, crossing his legs. “Made me climb through parkours while shooting at me with real bullets. Taught me how to throw knives, made me kill one of the guards to show I can kill a man.”

He sounds so indifferent about it all and Daniel stares at him, actually speechless. 

“When I turned fourteen he started his experiments and injected some serum in me which gave me my powers. I cried for a week and he punched me until I was unconscious because ‘real men don’t cry’.” Max hugs himself, his voice still not shaking and Daniel’s mouth goes dry, pulling Max against his chest. 

“Said that I’ll be the key to take over the world and all that shit.” Max snorts, shaking his head. “But ... there was still my Mum.”

He closes his eyes, his voice breaking at the end and Daniel swallows dryly, not sure if he should say something but before he can Max keeps talking. 

“She was obviously against all of that and wanted to protect me. I loved her so much - she was such a good person. I think the only reason why she stayed with him was that she wanted to keep me safe. Protect me somehow.” Max’s voice is hoarse, tears running his face and Daniel stares at him, the bad feeling in his stomach intensifying. 

“What happened to her?” He nearly doesn’t dare to ask but-

“He killed her in front of my eyes.” Max closes his eyes, more tears running down his face and he buries his face against Daniel’s chest. “Said she was a distraction and I- Dan I felt so broken. I wanted nothing more than to die.”

He’s full-on sobbing now and Daniel hugs him tightly, his heart breaking for Max. He has always known Jos Verstappen was evil but- 

Fuck. Of course Max is fucked up, of course he has questionable morals but Daniel can’t really blame him. 

They stay like that for what feels like hours, Max crying against his chest and Daniel holding him, his hand soothingly running through Max’s hair. 

“I mean I told you how I met Lando”, Max says after he calmed down a little, turning a bit so he’s cuddled into his side. “And we started to plan to kill my father.” 

“So it was you?” Daniel can’t help himself but Max just nods, his eyes turning cold. “I couldn’t let anyone else have all the fun, could I?”

-

“You ready?”, Lando asks him quietly and Max nods, taking a deep breath. They’ve worked two years towards this and he won’t fuck it up. 

And if he does- 

“You’ve got your fake passports and all, right?”, he says while checking that his bulletproof vest is in place - if all goes well he won’t need it. But he’s better safe than sorry and Lando nods. “I do.”

“You remember what you do if I fail?”

“Take my stuff and take the plane at 7.20 pm to Vancouver from Schiphol Airport, I’ve got everything ready. But Max, we won’t fail!” Lando stares at him, a determined expression in his eyes. “I know you and he’s no match for you.”

“Hopefully”, Max mumbles, trying not to think too much about what he’s going to do. “He trusts me.”

“And that’s good for us. You can do it Max and tonight we’ll already on our way to London.” Lando pulls him into a hug and Max takes a deep breath, wrapping his arms around his best friend. 

He’s so grateful he has Lando by his side and he closes his eyes for a moment, breathing in Lando’s familiar scent. He’s the only family he has left, the only one he trusts and when he opens his eyes again, Lando gives him a small smile. 

“I’m in your ear and will help you”, he says and Max snorts, stepping back. “Don’t say that that sounds creepy as fuck, mate.”

“But I _am_ in your ear!” Lando grins and Max shakes his head amused before taking a sip from the water bottle Lando hands him. The tight knot in his chest loosens a little though and he gives Lando a short smile while closing his jacket. 

“Get away from here, I’m not sure I can keep my emotions under control”, he says and Lando grins. “Don’t worry about me, I can look after myself.”

And that’s the truth. Lando is no longer the scared little boy Jos brought home two years ago. 

Max taught him how to fight, how to defend himself and while Lando might not have a chance against Jos he can very well stand his ground in a fight - enough to defend himself against a few guards should they show up and try to stop him. 

“Meet you at the airport tonight”, Lando whispers before he hugs him one final time and Max tries not to think about the fact that this could easily be the last time he gets to hug his best friend. He instinctively pulls him a little closer but is careful not to squish him. 

He takes another deep breath, collecting himself before he steps back and Lando slings his backpack over his shoulder, giving him a crooked grin. 

“Stay safe”, he says quietly before he leaves the room and Max falls back on his bed, burying his head in his hands and closing his eyes. 

They’re so close to being free of all of this and he knows it’s long overdue. 

He owes this not just to Lando but also his Mum and he suppresses the tears when her kind face appears in front of his eyes. He knows she wouldn’t approve of this - she has always been one for peaceful solutions.

She has always been too good for their world and Max swallows dryly, ignoring the lump in his throat. Even his Mum would understand that there isn’t a peaceful solution for his father. 

Hand him over to the police and imprison him? Just so his father can break out of prison again and swear revenge on humanity? 

No. There’s only one way and Max gets up when he receives Lando’s message saying he’s safe. His best friend is coordinating everything from a safe place a few hundred metres away, enough distance between the house and himself so he won’t get hurt (hopefully) and Max switches his communication to Lando on while his eyes wander through his old room. 

“Hey, all good?”, Lando’s voice appears in his ear and Max clears his throat, nodding before he realises Lando can’t see him. “Yep.”

They’ve only done this once before, Max taking Lando with him on a mission for his father and he adjusts his jacket, trying to calm his nerves. There aren’t really any personal things in his room, the few books he owns aren’t worth taking with him and Lando packed his laptop for him. 

The rest is generic, exchangeable - nothing Max considers valuable. 

The only thing he is somehow emotionally attached to is his stuffed animal, a lion which sits in Lando’s backpack now and he swallows dryly. 

“Alright, there are two guards on your floor, patrolling, armed as usual.” Lando’s voice turns professional and Max reaches for his knife, knowing his powers will cause too much trouble for now. “Anyone else?”

“Negative, everyone else is downstairs - I hacked myself into their phones, they all think your father summoned them to a meeting, they’re all in the big hall.” 

“So he’s unprotected?”

“Negative, there are two guards in front of his door.”

“Anyone we care about?”

It’s quiet for a moment, Max hears Lando typing and it’s not that he particularly cares about his father’s guards but-

“Negative”, Lando says again and Max exhales. “Good”. 

He slips out of his room, spotting the two guards at the end of the hallway and he releases a bit of kinetic energy, creating a barrier between the stairs and the men. They haven’t noticed him yet and Max quietly walks closer, his knife ready in his hand.

He doesn’t feel any remorse when he slits their throats, their bodies dropping to the floor and he takes a deep breath, ignoring the smell of blood in the air. “Done.”

He doesn’t bother hiding the bodies. 

“Two guards are in front of your father’s office, another one is coming your way but the rest is in the big hall”, Lando instructs him and Max walks down the stairs before pressing himself against the wall and into the shadows, waiting for the guard to come closer. 

His heart is beating fast in his chest, adrenaline running through his veins and the grip around his knife tightens when he hears steps to his right. 

“Now”, Lando says and Max whirls around the corner, one hand on the man’s mouth to stop him from screaming while he slits his throat as well, easily holding him in place when he tries to struggle. 

The guy drops to the floor and Max takes a deep breath, not sparing him another look before making his way through the eerily quiet house, no one coming his way.

Even though he knows no one will suddenly pop up in front of him his nerves are going haywire and he feels watched. Only Lando’s calm voice guiding him helps him to not lose focus, to not just bail and flee to the airport and he steps around the next corner. 

He knows the way to his father’s office by heart but hearing Lando is with him in some way calms him and he stops at the end of the corridor when he sees the two guards. 

“You’ve got to be quick so he doesn’t notice shit, mate”, Lando tells him through the coms, “I can switch off the light in here for a moment if that makes it easier for you.”

“Yes”, Max murmurs, eyeing the guards warily, “but let me get closer first. The second I say _Red Bull_ you switch off the lights.”

“Understood.”

Max strolls forward, hiding the knife and he gives the two guards a short smile, both giving him a respectful nod. 

“I need to speak to my father”, Max says, careful to not raise his voice to alert Jos, “now.”

“Sir, your father gave us the order he does not want to be disturbed-“

“I know”, Max interrupts the guard, his fingers curling around the knife hidden below his jacket, “but I thought I could bring him a _Red Bull_.”

For a split second, Max sees the confusion on the guards’ faces but then the light goes out and Max acts immediately, slitting the throat of the right guard before jumping on the left one. 

They fight for a moment, he struggles and Max grits his teeth before he manages to kill him as well and the body drops to the ground. 

Max steps back, the light switches back on and he wipes his knife clean on the uniform of one of the guards, ignoring the blood on the floor. 

“Ready?”, Lando asks him quietly and Max stares at the wooden door in front of him. He knows there’s no way back after this - right now he could still spin some story about getting attacked, the intruder able to flee.

It’s not too late yet but Max doesn’t really have doubts, ignoring the anxiety pooling in his stomach and he hides his knife in his jacket again. “Let’s do this.”

He takes a deep breath before he opens the door, not bothering to knock. His father looks up from his desk, a scowl on his face when he sees him but Max just kicks the door shut behind him, ignoring the cold look he gets. 

“Did I not teach you to knock-“

Max just throws him against the wall with a blast of kinetic energy, slowly coming closer, feeling the power run through his veins and Jos stares at him before he scrambles back to his feet, Max sees the flash of a few knives. 

“Max-“

“I’m so done with all of your shit”, Max hisses, forming two balls of kinetic energy and Jos’ face darkens. “So you attack your own father?! The one who gave you everything-“

“I have no father”, Max replies quietly, a cold edge to his voice and he throws one of his balls. Jos dodges it, a sneer on his face while he pulls his gun. 

“You’ve gone insane”, he snorts and Max projects a shield in front of him, effectively protecting himself from the bullets. 

“Just fed up with you ruining my life.” Max glares at him and Jos rolls his eyes, not looking scared - yet. “Oh please, did Norris talk you into that? Manipulate you? I always thought you’re stronger than that, Max.”

He lashes out and Max screams when he feels the knives pierce the skin on his right arm and he pushes him back, taking a deep breath and ignoring the blood trickling down his arm, the adrenaline overpowering the pain. 

Fuck.

“You still have so much to learn”, Jos mocks him, “it’s actually insulting that you think you have a chance. You’re a child, nothing more.” 

Max grits his teeth, not responding to his father mocking him and instead pushing him against the wall again, restricting his movements while unleashing his energy. He kicks the gun out of his hand, stepping on his wrist and Jos screams. 

“You will pay for everything you did”, Max says quietly and he ignores the pain when Jos somehow manages to push another knife into his side, the bulletproof vest protecting him from the worst. He just tightens his grip, they’re surrounded by red energy and Jos is panting, staring at him with wide eyes. “Max, please-“

Now that’s interesting. Max didn’t think his father would be one to beg and he spits next to him on the floor, nothing but disgust in his eyes. “Why would I listen to you? You never cared much about what others said. Never cared when they begged you to spare their lives.”

His Mum had begged and Max is pretty sure he’ll never forget her screams. 

“Max-“

“Do you know how it felt when you killed her?”, Max interrupts him and Jos stares at him, confusion written over his face and Max stretches his hand out, letting his red energy flow and pull. 

Jos screams in pain but Max doesn’t look away, just adding more energy and with the next pull he rips his father’s heart out of his chest. 

“Like this”, Max says quietly, his fingers curling around the organ in his hand and he ignores the disgust that’s rising in him, the blood dripping over his hand and arm, the burning and the bile rising in his stomach and he stares at his father’s dead eyes, his face blank. 

He slowly drops his energy and throws the heart into the fireplace, watching it burn for a second before he turns his back to the body, leaving the office. He feels tired, exhausted, burned out, his arm hurting like hell and he makes a detour to one of the bathrooms to clean himself, wash the blood away, stopping himself from looking into the mirror.

“He’s dead”, he says matter-of-factly, he knows Lando knows and he closes his eyes, a numb feeling spreading through him. His mind is still trying to process what he just did and a sudden fear of Lando leaving him grips his heart. 

What if he just used him, what if he leaves now that his father is dead-

“Thank you”, Lando says, he sounds like he’s crying and Max opens his eyes, still gripping the sink. 

“I-“ His voice breaks, unable to voice his fears, feeling ridiculous and he gets the towel, a lump forming in his throat, his chest tightening. 

“Are you okay? You screamed.” Lando sounds worried and Max throws a look at his right arm, gritting his teeth when he washes the rest of the blood from it, the pain slowly taking over. “It’s fine, he got me and it’s gonna leave a few scars but I’m okay.” 

He’s just gonna take a painkiller and pray no one will notice. 

“I’ll see you at the airport later?”, Lando asks, his voice soft and Max swallows hard. “Yeah”, he says hoarsely and he steps back from the sink, taking a deep breath. 

“Stay safe”, Lando whispers and Max simply nods before leaving the bathroom. He makes it out of the house and when he’s standing in the driveway he takes another deep breath, his red energy surrounding him. 

He knows there are way more guards inside and he can’t take any chances. His Mum would probably disagree but Max drowns her voice out, pulling the balaclava over his head, unleashing his energy on the building, letting it collapse. He knows the cops are already on their way, there’s a siren in the distance but he couldn’t care less, killing every guard that tries to flee the scene and he is not surprised when the building catches fire. 

He feels numb, staring at the scene in front of him, surrounded by a storm of kinetic energy, watching the house he grew up in burn. There’s nothing valuable left in that house and he closes his eyes, holding back the tears when the sirens come closer. He slowly turns around, disappearing around the corner the moment the first police car pulls into the street and he keeps his head down while walking, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. 

He can hear more police cars arrive at the scene and he pulls the balaclava down to avoid suspicion, brushing his sweaty hair from his forehead while heading towards the small hideout at the edge of the forest. He gets changed, wincing when the soft fabric of his new hoodie touches his injured arm and he grits his teeth. He slings his backpack over his shoulder and burns his old clothes, covering the ashes of the last bit of his old life with dirt before he calls himself a taxi to the airport. 

He arrives on time, paying the driver quickly before he steps inside and for a moment he feels lost in the crowd, overwhelmed with all the different impressions. People push past him, not paying him attention, families pushing their trolleys, children laughing and Max feels the lump forming in his throat again when he sees a woman joking around with her son, hugging him tightly. 

He misses his Mum. 

Before the panic threatens to overwhelm him though Lando steps next to him, gently touching his left arm and he gives him a small smile. “You ready?”

Relief floods Max and he nods, hesitating for a moment before he takes Lando’s hand and they make their way through check-in and security without any problems. Lando doesn’t leave his side, doing most of the talking for him and Max is grateful for it. 

He feels tired, watched and still numb, just his arm burning and it’s only when he falls on his seat in the plane, Lando next to him, that he feels himself slowly calm down. 

“Off to London”, Lando mumbles, an excited spark in his eyes while he looks out of the window and Max takes a deep breath, reaching for Lando’s hand again when the plane takes off, leaving Amsterdam and everything he knows behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💛
> 
> warned you that j*s was not a good person


	7. Should I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is [Should I by Rilés](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM0hh8OFO4M)

Max is quiet after he finishes his story, staring at the dark TV and Dan swallows dryly. So the rumours are true. Max really killed his own father - and countless other people - that day. 

Daniel knows he should be horrified. Should call the cops or at least leave. But he can’t, he finds himself having a hard time to feel sorry for all these people and instead of leaving he pulls Max closer against his chest, his hand running through his messy hair. 

They’re quiet, Max’s breathing evening out after a while and when Dan looks down again he’s asleep, his arms wrapped around Daniel’s torso. A small smile works its way on his face and Daniel makes sure he’s tucked in before putting his head back and staring at the ceiling. 

Max only did what he had to do to survive. Daniel has killed soldiers as well before and he’s not proud of it and he regrets it and he knows Max and he are completely different and Max probably doesn’t regret it and he shouldn’t try finding reasons to justify his behaviour but- 

“He’s cute when he sleeps, isn’t he?” Lando’s voice makes him flinch, his grip instinctively tightening around Max and he looks up. Lando is leaning in the doorway, a small smile on his face. “So innocent.”

“He’s everything but innocent”, Daniel mumbles and Lando rolls his eyes, pushing himself off the door and strides towards him, flopping down on the floor in front of them and crossing his legs. “Who are you to decide who’s innocent and who isn’t?”

There’s a sharp edge to his voice and Daniel wants to say something but Lando keeps talking, a sudden fire in his eyes. 

“And anyway, aren’t we all not really innocent in this fucked up world?! I know you have killed people as well before so don’t even try and lie to me. Max just did whatever he had to do to survive and he’s _not a bad person_.”

Lando glares at him and Daniel is impressed by how protective he gets over his best friend - he didn’t expect him to be so harsh about it and he takes a deep breath. 

“He killed three police officers-“

“Who attacked him first while he was _waiting for the bus_ ”, Lando interrupts him, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “They attacked him because they recognised who he is and instead of just trying to arrest him they tried to kill him. It was purely self-defence from Max's side.” 

Oh.

That ... changes things a bit and Daniel swallows dryly, his eyes falling back on Max’s peaceful face, his hand still going through his soft hair and his chest tightens when he thinks about all the pain he must have gone through. 

“What about the people at that gala last year? Seb said-”

“Vettel doesn’t know shit”, Lando interrupts him, a shadow falling over his face. “It had been a trap by one of our employers and it went all wrong. The guy wanted to see how deadly Max can be and created some kind of gas that made the whole building explode the second Max would use his powers.” 

“The fuck?!” Daniel stares at him and Lando shrugs, sighing. “The job really fucked with Max’s head and we went to Sicily for a while after, to take our minds off. I was really scared he would try drowning himself or shit like that. I mean, casualties happen and all, they’re unavoidable in our line of work but that?”

Lando shakes his head, drawing in a sharp breath. “Max took care of our client, made sure he couldn’t proceed with whatever sick plan he had but last year was rough. Until he met you.” 

He looks at him with a frown and Daniel swallows, looking back at Max, brushing a few strands of hair from his face. 

“I really care about him”, he says quietly, knowing Lando heard him and he takes a deep breath, his heart beating faster while his eyes travel over Max’s pale cheeks and his plump lips. “So much.”

“I know and he cares about you too. But I swear to god if you fuck with him- if you play with him, turn him in I _will_ kill you.” 

Daniel looks up surprised, Lando staring him dead in the eye, easily holding his gaze and Daniel forces himself to smile. “I could never hurt him.” 

Or leave his side. He sees Lando nod and he bites his lips. “How does Charles come into all of this? He’s your boyfriend, right?”

“Yeah.” For the first time this evening, there’s a smile on Lando’s face and he stretches his legs a little. “Max was supposed to keep an eye on him for one of our clients and I just went up and talked to Charles because I thought he’s cute.” 

There’s a small blush appearing on his face and he grins sheepishly. “Maybe I talked a bit too fast and stumbled over my words but he seemed to like it and we started dating - Max killed the client and since then Charles is with us.”

“What did the client want with Charles?” Daniel frowns and Lando sighs. “Don’t know if you’ve noticed but my boyfriend is quite skilled when it comes to gadgets and all that shit. Wanted to have that knowledge for himself, basically enslaving him.” He shrugs. “The client- he wasn’t a good man, Dan. He deserved what Max did to him.”

Daniel nods slowly, chewing on his bottom lip and he looks back at Lando, sighing. “Look, I just- if Max is not a bad guy and like his father why does he keep taking all these shady jobs? Breaking into companies, assassinating people, all that jazz?” 

“Because the bad guys pay better than the good ones and the good ones don’t want Max working for them.” Lando shrugs again, leaning back against the wall. “They don't trust him. And Max is selective - he doesn’t just take any job. Like his assassination jobs? All shady CEOs or businessmen who deserve to die anyway.”

Daniel swallows dryly and Lando sighs. “You have to stop believing everything the public tells you, mate, and stop clinging on to your morals. The world isn’t just black and white. Max might not be perfect but he has a good heart. And he normally does the right thing.”

He gives him another small smile before getting up, lingering in the door for a moment longer, looking back. “And can you blame him for having his morals a little bit fucked up with _that_ father?”

Daniel finds he actually can’t. 

-

“Now that Dan is back with the living”, Lando grins when Daniel rolls his eyes, flipping him off. It’s been two days since his talk with Lando, they’re at breakfast right now and Max snorts, hiding his grin behind his Red Bull while sitting suspiciously close to Dan while Lando continues talking. “We can tackle the next of our problems.”

“Oh god”, Hulk mumbles while supporting his chin on one hand and stirring in his cornflakes and Charles grins, leaning back. “Yeah, my reaction when Lando told me.”

“What’s wrong?”, Max asks, taking a bite of his toast and Lando sighs, crossing his legs on his chair while reaching for his iPad from behind him on the counter. 

“Remember that chemical weapons factory you blew up?”

Max nods and Dan casually puts an arm around his shoulder, grinning when Max instinctively leans into the touch. He really is like a big cat. 

“Turns out Baker worked for a certain Helmut Marko - sounds familiar?” Lando raises his eyebrows and Max tenses, immediately sitting up straighter while Daniel frowns. “Who’s Helmut Marko?”

“Shit”, Max mutters, exchanging a quick look with Charles and Lando and Michael leans back, putting his coffee down, a worried look in his eyes. “Yeah, who’s that guy?”

“One of my former ... employers”, Max explains carefully, sighing deeply. “A dick but he paid well. I guess he figured I was involved?”

He looks to Lando who simply nods. “He wants your head. Both of your heads actually.”

“Lovely, it’s been a while”, Max mumbles sarcastically and Hulk raises an eyebrow. “Isn’t the first time someone wants to kill us, I think we can manage a few hitmen-“

“He is one of the most dangerous men in the UK, if not Europe!”, Lando interrupts him, he looks stressed, Dan notices and Charles nods, pulling his bottom lip in. “It’s not that easy to get rid of him. When he wants you dead you will be.”

“Then we have to kill him first”, Max says, shrugging when Daniel turns towards him with an incredulous look. “What?!”

“I don’t think there’s any other way”, Michael says slowly, siding with Max and Lando gives him a small smile. “ _Thank you_.”

Daniel is still staring at them, his toast and coffee in front of him long forgotten. 

“And how do we do that?”, he asks and Charles grins. “That’s why we have to come up with a plan, pretty boy.” 

Max tenses a little at that, glaring at Charles who only winks at him but Daniel doesn’t notice it, staring in his coffee deep in his thoughts. 

He knows they’re right and they might have a chance when they work together. And it’s not like he wasn’t tempted before to simply kill his former General or anyone involved in his experiment. 

Sometimes it’s the only way and while he knows Seb and his Mama definitely would disagree he couldn’t care less. 

“You’re in?”, he asks, looking at Michael and his best friend gives him a crooked grin. “Absolutely, can’t let you die again, can I?” 

“I’ve got Maxy with me, I’ll be fine.” Dan waves dismissively, lazily pulling Max closer and he doesn’t notice how Max blushes. Hulk does though, winking at him while Lando pushes his plate and mug of hot chocolate back, suddenly all business. 

“Alright, I’m gonna work out a way to get into his security system, try to come up with a strategy and Charles will give you some fancy toys which might be helpful for you.” Lando pulls his phone from his pocket, already typing and Charles smirks, his arm around Lando’s neck. “Always so bossy.”

“Given that I seem to be the only one who gets shit done around here...” Lando raises his eyebrows but there’s a small grin on his face and Charles laughs, pulling him on his lap before kissing him, his boyfriend blushing. 

“I’m going to help Lando”, Michael says calmly, getting up and taking his plate. “Maybe we can figure something out together.” 

“Michael is an excellent strategist”, Daniel adds and Lando nods, pulling back from Charles but staying on his lap, one arm around his neck. “Alright, I trust you on that.”

“What about you, Hulk? You’re in?” Dan turns towards his friend and Hulk laughs. “Absolutely. I really miss a good fight.”

Of course he does. Daniel isn’t even surprised, Hulk thrives on chaos so he should have expected that answer. 

“Peachy.” Michael grins at him before bringing his plate to the sink and Hulk turns to Lando. “You’re joining us in the field?” 

“Nah, otherwise you might try to kill me.” 

“I’m not gonna kill you.” 

“Oh, I said ‘try’.” Lando grins at him and while Hulk stares at him, Max grins, leaning more into Dan’s side again. “Don’t underestimate him again, mate.”

“Don’t worry, I learned my lesson from the first time”, Hulk grumbles but he winks at Lando and Charles shakes his head amused. “He’s more useful to us when he tells us what to do.”

“You’re gonna stay with him?”, Dan asks and Charles nods. “Gonna keep an eye on him and we work well together.” 

“Alright, let’s get to work then.” Lando jumps up and Daniel turns to Max, grinning. “Not gonna lie, I’m excited to work with you.”

“Yep, same.” Max smiles slightly and they stare at each other, completely ignoring the other four in the kitchen. Daniel’s heart beats faster, his belly fluttering and he takes a deep breath, his hand on Max’s thigh.

They don’t see Lando leaving with Charles and Hulk nor Michael looking at them worriedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this feels a bit like the calm before the storm doesn't it 
> 
> :) 
> 
> also, I am sorry this chapter is a bit shorter but as I said I wrote this fic in one go without really thinking about chapters and had to split it where it makes sense after so .. yeah lmao


	8. Born Alone Die Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is [Born Alone Die Alone by Madalen Duke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se9Xw-ZRn5c)

“Alright, this baby here is a fun thing”, Charles starts leading them into his room which reminds Daniel of a high-tech weapon chamber from a James Bond movie and Charles falls on the chair at his desk, reaching for-

“A knife?” Hulk raises his eyebrows and from the corner of his eyes, Dan sees Max smirk. He’s leaning in the doorway, watching them silently and Charles rolls his eyes.

“It’s not just ‘a knife’. It’s a Gas Injection Knife”, he says and while Michael’s eyes widen in recognition, clearly remembering it from the army, Hulk still looks confused. “Means?”

“Means the handle contains a cartridge of pressurised carbon dioxide, and a special trigger vents it through a channel in the blade. When you stab someone with it and release the gas, it causes an internal explosion, massively damaging the target”, Charles explains and Daniel raises his eyebrows impressed. “Kinda gross but also cool.”

“Yeah, that sums it up pretty well.” Charles grins before showing them the rest of the room, revealing multiple different types of guns, grenades and tear gas, talking them through all of it and he stops in front of a drawer, a smirk on his face. 

“I think you might like this one”, he says, turning to Hulk and he reveals a selection of throwing knives, picking one up. “Stainless steel and perfectly balanced, Max really likes working with them. I couldn’t figure out what was so special about your knife but it seemed to do the job.”

Hulk takes the knife, balancing it on his finger and his lips curl into a grin. “Thanks, mate.” 

“You take whatever you need from here and what fits your fighting style best.” Charles shrugs, waving at the shelves and he falls back on his chair. “If you have any questions, ask.”

They nod Michael heading towards a few AKs, chatting with Charles while Hulk is still busy with the knives and Daniel hesitates, turning to Max. 

They’ve always worked well together and he’s not really interested in any guns. It’s not really what he needs right now. “Fancy training a bit?”

“Let’s go.” Max gives him a small smile and they head to another room which looks a lot like a gym (Daniel didn’t know his flat was so _big_ ), Max closing the door behind them. There’s a lot of space, a few weights lined up on the sides and Daniel grins, stretching a little. 

He knows his body will need a moment to get used to moving this fast again but to be honest, he can’t wait. He has never been one to sit still for too long and he’s aching to fight again. 

“Don’t go easy on me.” 

“Never.” Max fires some energy at him and Daniel manages to dodge it just in time, a laugh making his way up to his throat while he starts running at Max. The room is long enough for that and he jumps just in time before Max can hit him. 

His body easily jumps higher than any human is normally possible to and he manages to land a few hits on Max’s back before he gets blasted against the wall. It stings a little but his body is fine again and he flashes Max a broad smile, adrenaline running through his veins. 

God, he missed this. 

“Didn’t I say to _not_ go easy on me?”, he teases him and Max snorts. “Cocky bastard.” 

His voice is soft though and when Daniel looks up, he sees the fondness in his blue eyes. 

His heart beats faster but before he can say something Max sends him into the wall again and Dan laughs, getting up before attacking him. It feels _good_ to train with Max and after their warm-up they talk about different strategies, coming up with ideas how they can maximise their efficiency together. 

“I can keep you safe but they’ll notice very quickly”, Max says with a frown, slowly walking around him and Daniel nods, cracking his knuckles. “I have your back, don’t worry about that. How vulnerable are you, can you die?”

“I guess.” Max shrugs, running a hand through his hair. “Never tested that theory before and to be honest I’m not keen on finding out.”

Daniel gets that and he throws another punch at Max, some rap music playing in the background and he laughs when Max avoids his fist narrowly, glaring at him. They work well together, are equal in skills and Dan laughs again when Max starts chasing him through the room. 

He lets out a scream he is definitely not proud of when Max jumps on his back and he loses his balance, both of them crashing on the floor. Daniel is still laughing, Max is grinning and they’re so close that Daniel’s heart involuntarily beats faster again. 

Daniel shifts so he’s laying on his back, Max is sitting on his legs now, holding his arms down and Daniel swallows dryly. Max’s blue eyes look at him, insecure and for whatever reason, he reminds Daniel a bit of a big cat again. 

“So how do you know Helmut Marko?”, he breaks the silence and Max tenses a little before a mask of indifference slips over his face. “Told you he’s one of my former employers. Worked for my father as well and all.”

“And he didn’t mind that you...” Daniel trails off, not sure what to say but Max just shrugs again. “Nope. Didn’t care that I killed my own father or that I might have a trauma. Which I don’t by the way.”

He sounds defensive and Dan’s heart softens a little - all he wants is to hug Max. He doesn’t though which is mostly because Max is still holding him down and he forces himself to smile. 

“Your father made you into a weapon and expected you to find peace with it”, he says quietly, ignoring the lump in his own throat, “of course that leaves a trauma.”

Max stills, his blue eyes fixated on him and Daniel swallows dryly, his heart beating faster. They stare at each other for another moment until a small smile appears on Max’s face. 

“I’ve never had anyone who was so patient with me”, he says while getting up, conjuring more of his red energy. “Someone who wasn’t Lando or Charles at least.”

Daniel shrugs, spinning the knife he stole from Hulk around his fingers and he tries to ignore the way his heart flutters when Max is smiling at him. This is getting ridiculous and he forces himself to another smile. “It’s what you deserve.” 

Max seems genuinely at a lack of words at that and Daniel ignores the sudden urge to kiss him. Things are still complicated and Max’s eyes soften, slowly stepping closer. 

“You’re a cheesy idiot.”

“And you’re an unromantic cunt.” 

They stare at each other, both smiling and Daniel hates himself for using the word ‘unromantic’. He doesn’t know if Max is really unromantic and they’re _not_ dating and- 

“Rookie mistake”, Max murmurs, Daniel didn’t even know he came that close and before he knew it Max stole his knife and sent him back into the wall. Daniel groans, flipping him off while Max is laughing and he sounds so happy, so carefree that Daniel can’t help but smile as well, his heart doubling in size at the sound. 

Max is special. 

And his grin is absolutely adorable. 

They train for another hour before Max goes showering and Daniel joins Michael and Hulk in their bedroom, stretching his arms. He moved from the sofa to a proper bed and while it does feel good to sleep on a real mattress again he kind of misses Max during the night. 

He somehow has always stayed with him and he looks up when he notices Hulk’s and Michae’s eyes on him - they look worried. “What?”

“Are you really sure about this Dan? It might backfire”, Michael says quietly and Daniel takes a deep breath. They’ve talked the plan through again before and he looks over his shoulder but they’re alone and he ignores the bad feeling in his stomach. 

“It’s the only way.”

-

“You all know what you have to do?”, Lando asks over the coms and Max sighs. “Yes.”

He sounds a bit annoyed, Daniel notices and he smiles, squeezing Max’s hand quickly, Hulk rolling his eyes with a fond smile while Michael shoulders his gun. “Let’s do this.” 

He pushes himself off where he has been leaning against the wall of the building behind them, Daniel smiling when Max’s thumb brushes over his knuckles one more time before he pulls his hand back and they start walking towards the huge mansion in front of them. 

Helmut Marko apparently isn’t really subtle. 

“Hulk, Michael, you take the left side, Max and Daniel, you go right”, Charles orders them and they split up, none of them making a single sound. Daniel’s neck is prickling, he feels watched and he grips the knife a bit tighter, the gun strapped on the side of his suit a comforting weight - so is Max’s presence next to him. 

He feels, in an odd way, safe with him. 

“Two guards in front of you, hundred metres”, Lando’s quiet voice appears in his ear, he’s responsible for looking after them while Charles will take care of Hulk and Michael and Max smirks. “I got it.” 

He disappears in the dark and not two seconds later Daniel hears a groan and the sound of two bodies dropping to the floor. Max is back by his side not a second after, not a single drop of blood on his suit and he quickly looks at him. 

Daniel grins, ignoring how fast his heart is beating in his chest. “Good job.”

“I know”, Max says shortly but there’s a small blush on his cheeks and they keep walking, Lando pointing out the location of the guards surrounding the mansion, using a heat camera. 

They take turns, always having each other’s back and they enter the house through an open window on the ground floor, Daniel jumping down next to Max, landing without a sound.

“Alright, you can try sneaking your way through-“

“Fuck”, Max mutters and Daniel follows his gaze, the grip around his gun tightening when he sees ten guards appearing at the end of the corridor and Max conjures a shield around them just in time, the bullets getting deflected and dropping to the ground. 

“Or you fight them head-on”, Lando ends dryly and the second he finishes, all hell breaks loose. Daniel smashes the handle of his gun into one of the guards’ faces before shooting him and he turns around, dodging a punch just in time. He keeps an eye on Max, stabbing a guy who tries sneaking up on him and he gets rewarded with a quick smile from him. 

Something to his left explodes and he flinches but he keeps running, not looking. “What the fuck happened?!”, he yells, dodging a few more guards and jumping over one of them, breaking his neck when he lands behind him. 

“Something underwent unplanned rapid disassembly”, Lando answers calmly and Daniel frowns, ramming his elbow into a guard’s stomach before shooting him. “What?!”

“It exploded, and it wasn’t an explosion we wanted to happen”, Max translates for him before sending three guards into the wall and Daniel nods, still a bit confused. “Ah.”

Max flashes him a quick smile and Daniel kills the guard behind him with another precise headshot.

“Never thought I’d fight side by side with a hero”, Max comments dryly while taking care of the man in front of him and Daniel grins, his fist connecting with the face of one of the guards. “You levelled up, Maxy.” 

“Oh, shut up.” Max flips him off before catching the gun Dan throws at him, quickly shooting two guards and he throws the revolver back before taking up three men at once. 

They keep fighting their way through the house, Max returning the favour and killing a guy who was sneaking up on Dan, always making sure no stray bullet hits them and they make their way through the building, Daniel reloading his gun while taking cover behind a turned over table, catching his breath. 

He feels oddly _alive_ and he doesn’t even question it anymore. He tries not to think too much about the fact that he’s actually having _fun_ and he watches with a soft smile how Max takes down five men at once, his eyes glowing red again. 

From the corner of his eyes, he sees Michael and Hulk joining them, Hulk throwing five knives quickly after each other, each precisely hitting their target and Michael kills the guard who tried sneaking up on Hulk with a quick headshot, reloading his AK. 

They work well together, all of them, Lando pointing things out from time to time until Max’s head snaps up and he scowls. “Marko!” 

He’s off before Daniel even realises it and he immediately chases after him, ignoring the guards around him - he won’t leave him alone. They need each other and he needs to make sure Max is okay. 

Hulk and Michael follow them, so do the guards and Daniel sees Max slamming an elderly man to the ground with more force than probably necessary.

Before they can do something though he sees more guards approaching them and his heart stops for a moment - shit. Max is still busy pinning Marko down and Michael and he exchange a quick look, his best friend reloading his gun with a grim expression on his face.

They’ve had quite a few of these situations in the past already and Daniel knows he can rely on Michael. 

The guards start shooting, hundreds of bullets flying towards them and they manage just in time to hide behind a garden shed, Max has his energy field around him, protecting him and Hulk sets his jaw, his blue eyes cold. 

“I’ve got this.”

He turns around, slamming his hands out and the bullets slow down, stopped by an invisible shield in front of Hulk and he grits his teeth, his hands shaking slightly by pure force. 

Dan and Michael stare at him and Hulk takes a deep breath before he pushes his hands forward, the bullets flying back to the guards and Daniel breathes out in relief before he runs over to Max. 

He knows Michael and Hulk take care of the rest of the guards, he smells fire and knows Michael probably threw some of Charles’ Molotov cocktails at the house but he doesn’t turn around to look. 

He has other priorities right now. 

He stops next to Max, taking a deep breath, pulling another knife and he takes care of two guards trying to sneak up on them. He dodges the bullet before kicking him in the stomach, breaking his neck before turning to the other guy, shooting him and when he looks back to Marko, Max already slit his throat.

“Good job”, Daniel says a bit out of breath and Max gives him a short smile before getting up, not sparing the body another glance. There are police sirens in the back and Daniel’s heart skips a beat, adrenaline still running through his veins. 

Max and he are staring at each other, both breathing heavily and before he even realises it Max throws his arms around him and pulls him into a deep, desperate kiss, kissing him like they’re the only ones around. Daniel instinctively moans into the kiss, tightening one hand in Max’s hair while his heart beats so fast he’s scared it will jump out of his chest. 

A lump is forming in his throat, the emotions threaten to overwhelm both of them and he blinks the tears away - he blames the adrenaline. Max’s lips are surprisingly soft and Daniel deepens the kiss, feeling like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. 

And is crushing him at the same time. 

Kissing Max feels so _right_ , he feels like he finally came home and holding him in his arms is everything he has ever wanted. Everything he has ever longed for. 

He hears the police sirens come closer and Daniel knows time’s running out. Knows what they have to do. What _he_ has to do.

That doesn’t make it any easier though.

He fishes for the handcuffs from his suit while still kissing Max, he switched off his communication to Lando way before already and he pulls back. Max is smiling at him, his blue eyes bright and it’s a soft smile which turns into confusion when Daniel cuffs his hands together with one quick motion. 

“What-“ Max’s voice breaks and he tries freeing himself, the first police officers appear on the scene and Daniel swallows dryly. “I’m sorry.”

Max tries to free himself but they’re special handcuffs, designed to suppress his powers and Daniel tries to ignore how his heart hurts and how Max seems to get more and more desperate fighting against the handcuffs, panic in his eyes. 

Seb is coming towards them, guarded by ten officers and Daniel steps back, knowing there’s no way Max can escape now. 

Max stares at him in disbelief, the look of pure betrayal in his eyes and Daniel averts his gaze, trying not to let the guilt eat him up alive. He watches how they lead Max to the police car, ignoring Michael’s and Hulk’s incredulous stares.

It was the only way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	9. Epilogue: Heroes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is [Heroes by Måns Zelmerlöw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nbq6Ur103Q)

**Three months later - Rome, Italy**

“Due cappuccini, per favore.” Daniel flashes the waitress a bright smile and she blushes and nods, tucking a stray of her brown hair behind her ear before she leaves. 

Daniel takes a deep breath, leaning back in his chair, sunglasses on his nose and he closes his eyes, enjoying the warm sun on his face, breathing in that unique scent of the Italian air which always seems to smell a bit like summer and pine trees and freedom. 

“You really have to stop doing that”, someone says next to him but Daniel just shrugs, a small grin on his face. “What?”

“Flirting with everyone.”

Daniel smirks, lazily running a hand through his dark curls and he cracks one eye open, turning his head a little. “Why? You jealous?”

Max snorts, a small blush rising up in his cheeks though, betraying his unimpressed facade and he shakes his head. “No! But it’s not fair, I mean it’s not like she has a chance anyway.”

Daniel grins and he sits up a little, his hand instinctively reaching for Max’s that’s laying on the table. 

He plays with the leather bracelet on his wrist (Daniel gifted it to him a few weeks ago and Max refuses to put it off), Max mock-glaring at him and he leaves his hand where it is when the waitress brings their cappuccinos. Daniel gives her another smile before he turns to Max, his expression turning soft. 

So much has happened since that night they killed Helmut Marko and he shakes his head slowly. “I still can’t believe we got away with it.”

“Me neither.” Max laughs, crossing his ankles and he laces their fingers together. “It was such an insane plan.”

“And your acting skills were Oscar-worthy”, Dan muses, a grin on his face. “So were Michael’s and Hulk’s. Really, I felt so fucking bad.”

“Well, I couldn’t know you’d choose _that_ to be the moment for our first kiss.” Max snorts, taking a sip from his cappuccino. “Really, I was a bit pissed. You could’ve at least invited me for dinner, you know?”

“I think I made more than up for it.” Dan winks at him, laughing. “And weren’t _you_ the one who kissed me first? The opportunity was just too good.”

“You ruined our first kiss, of course I was pissed.” 

“You secretly love it because it was so much more exciting than Charles’ and Lando’s first kiss.” He winks at him and Max shakes his head with a grin. “Maybe - you’re still a bastard. I went to jail for you!”

“For _two days_!” Daniel stares at him incredulously. “It took us two days to get you out of there and flee the country!”

-

“Alright, they’re going to bring him to Belmarth which is in Thamesmead, South-East of London”, Lando says the second they all meet again, his laptop on his lap, tracking the police car with Max in it and Daniel nods, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He knows this was all part of the plan and yet he still feels bad. 

Still feels like he let Max down, the betrayed look in Max’s eyes haunting him even though he knows it was just an act. 

Max is a surprisingly good actor. 

“Stop worrying, mate.” Charles nudges him gently with his elbow, a small smile on his face. “He’ll be fine.” 

“They called Belmarth the UK’s Guantanamo though”, Daniel says quietly and Charles rolls his eyes. “And Max is one of the most powerful people in the world and the UK has no death penalty. Calm down, they might rough him up a bit and he will complain about the bad food later but that’ll be it.”

“So how do we get him out of there?”, Michael asks and Lando frowns, chewing on his bottom lip. “I’ve made plans for all high-security prisons in the UK because I wasn’t sure before where they’d take him - Belmarth makes sense, of course, it’s close to London and it’s a Category-A prison.” 

“Peachy”, Daniel mumbles, pacing through the room until Hulk pulls him down next to him on the sofa. “You said it’s the only way, right?”

“Yep.” Dan stares out of the window and Lando sighs. “It is the only way if we all want to leave the country unharmed and without too much attention on you three. Alright, there’s a tunnel below the prison which will come in handy - Michael, I can get you into prison as a guard, you have to get close to Max so he’ll find the tunnel and we get the keys to it.” 

“Will do.” Michael looks completely relaxed and Daniel really wants to pace through the room again. 

“Charles, we’ll get you in as a prisoner-” 

“Oh, come _on_ , I’m too pretty for prison!” Charles stares at him and Lando raises one eyebrow, a small grin on his face. “I know. But you know how to handle a knife and can give Max some cover while Michael will get you to the tunnel.”

“Fine, fine. I hope he appreciates it.” Charles raises his hands in surrender and Lando runs a hand through his dark hair. “Dan, Hulk: you’ll wait in the tunnel and then you’ll have to help them fight your way out I guess. Cover your faces though.”

“What about Michael?” 

“I’m gonna shut down their whole security system.” Lando smiles innocently, cracking his knuckles. “Which will result in accidentally freeing over nine hundred high-security prisoners and they’ll be quite busy catching them all again.” 

“Oh god”, Dan mumbles and Lando shrugs, throwing him a long look. “There’s no other option and they’ll get them again because most of these people are dumb as fuck so it won’t be much of a challenge.” 

Daniel nods, biting his lip and he takes a deep breath. It’s time to not give a shit about his morals anymore - this is about Max. Fuck the law and fuck his morals. Maybe the world really isn’t just black and white and he smiles grimly. 

“You know I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get Max back.” 

To have a future with him. 

-

“And all just so you’re still the hero in the public eye.” Max raises his eyebrows, a smirk on his face and Daniel flips him off. “It wasn’t just about that, you know that. And I’m just a man, I’m not a hero.” 

“The UK thinks that.” Max is still looking at him and Dan focuses on his cappuccino, licking the foam from his lips. 

“It was the easiest way to get us all out of there”, he defends himself, “and Seb got a promotion thanks to us!”

“Never liked him”, Max mumbles and Dan grins. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that feeling is mutual.”

He has never told Seb about his plan but Lando had given him an anonymous hint where they could find Max Verstappen and the second they had taken Max into custody and exchanged a few words with Daniel, he, Michael and Hulk caught up with Lando and Charles and they started working on their plan to get Max out of jail. 

Lando dropped a few hints afterwards that Max fled to the US while they took a private jet to Italy (Dan’s still grateful Michael knows how to fly a plane) and they’re in Rome for three months now, kind of fighting crime at night (Max’s and Dan’s morals still differ quite a bit which results in them bickering half of the time) and enjoying the Italian way of life during the day. 

To be honest, they're mostly just eating before Michael chases them through the city on a run. 

Daniel pays when they’ve finished their cappuccinos and they wander over the Piazza in front of them, holding hands and Daniel takes a deep breath, pulling Max closer. 

His boyfriend (they’ve finally, _finally_ talked) has gotten himself some ice cream from a small shop and for the first time in months, he looks happy. Happy and carefree and Daniel’s heart doubles in size when he sees him smile. Max looks content and they stroll through the narrow alleys, Daniel not letting go off his hand once. 

Old habits die hard and all. 

“I’m amazed how happy you are about your ice cream”, he comments amused and Max throws him a pointed look. “Given that the food in prison was _desastrous_ -“

“ _Two days_ , Maxy! _Two days_!” Dan stares at him before he laughs but Max just wrinkles his nose. “It was disgusting.”

-

Max stares with a blank look on his face at the two officers in front of him, not saying anything and ignoring their questions. The special handcuffs around his wrists which suppress his powers still hurt and he hates how the cold metal feels on his skin. Hates how powerless and helpless and _caged_ he feels and he can’t even use his telekinesis - the handcuffs apparently also affect his mind.

He hates it, hates feeling so weak and he swallows, his mouth feeling dry. 

He tries to ignore the voice of his father in his head, mocking him, telling him that the others will leave him behind and he basically shovelled his own grave. 

They won’t let him down. They will come back for him, he _trusts_ them, it will be okay. 

They’ve been here for hours already and he refuses to speak to them, to give them anything. 

He also didn’t cooperate with the lawyer they gave him - he’s an idiot. Lando didn’t even study Law and would do a better job than this moron and Max crosses his ankles below the table, his face still a mask of indifference. 

He misses Lando, this is the longest they’ve ever gone without each other - he doesn’t like it. He also doesn’t like being away from Daniel and he stops himself just in time from smiling when he thinks about him. 

His mind keeps wandering back to the kiss, it makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside and he gets up when one of the guards grabs his arm, roughly pulling him out of the room. 

Max doesn’t resist, knowing it’s pointless and he winces internally when the guard squeezes the arm with his scars a bit harder than necessary. If it wasn’t for the fact that he knows Lando and the others have a plan he would’ve killed him right here and then.

But Daniel probably also wouldn’t like it and-

Wait. Since when does he care what others think about his actions? He has never cared much if people disliked him, what-

But Daniel is different. He’s kind and funny and generous and _good_ and while Max might be neither of these things he can at least try to not kill anyone yet. 

Can try to make an effort.

He ignores the other prisoners during dinner, it’s not like he can move much anyway with those fucking handcuffs and picking a fight wouldn’t be helpful. But God, he’s still so pissed. 

Not really at Daniel but that he’d take that moment to cuff him- they’ll definitely have to talk about that.

The food is gross, Max can’t even identify what it’s supposed to be and he forces a few spoonfuls of the brownish soup (?) down before he drops it, staring emotionlessly at the table, ignoring the others around him. He’s surprised they let him mingle with the others - he actually figured they’d think he’s too dangerous. 

Max sighs quietly, he feels lonely and he knows it’ll only get worse when he’s alone in his cell - he prays he won’t have any nightmares. Prays that voice will stay out of his head. 

“Let’s get you back to your cell”, someone says next to him and Max’s head snaps up at the familiar voice. He stares into a pair of warm brown eyes and he raises his eyebrows when Michael takes his arm, way gentler than the other guards. 

He doesn’t say anything though, he knows that cameras are pointed towards them, just waiting for him to make a mistake, to act suspicious and he hasn’t spoken all day - especially not to the guards. He won’t start now and Michael smirks while leading him away from the canteen. 

He’s incredibly relieved though to see a familiar face, it calms his anxiety and he follows him without resisting, the touch actually soothing, grounding him. He’s still in isolation though and Michael gives him a soft smile while unlocking the door. 

He doesn’t say anything but he doesn’t have to - they have a plan and that’s all Max needs to know. All Max needs to sleep relatively deep during that night, ignoring the pain on his wrists from the handcuffs. 

It hurts and he still feels lost and scared and he’s terrified, the doubts always slipping back into his mind but he forces them away, telling himself that trusting Lando and the others was the right decision - he will be fine. 

_He will be fine_.

When Michael leads him to breakfast the next morning, not leaving his side while walking through the cold corridors with him, Max keeps his face neutral, not showing any weakness to the other guards or prisoners and completely ignoring what’s going on around him. 

He sits alone at one of the long tables, staring at his toast, not able to get anything down while the hall is bustling with people and he closes his eyes for a second, forcing his heartbeat to stay calm. 

_He will be fine_.

He doesn’t flinch when someone suddenly falls down next to him, he is ready to fight whoever is stupid enough to actually bother him but when he opens his eyes it’s not some nameless prisoner, trying to challenge his luck. 

“I hate fieldwork”, Charles mutters before he leans against the wall, his legs up on the bench and a cheeky grin on his face. “Hi, mate, did you miss me?” 

Max snorts, quickly taking a look over his shoulder but no one is paying them any attention. The cameras pointed at them don’t pick up on audio and it’s not that suspicious that he talks with another prisoner - as long as they don’t start a fight they’re safe. 

“What did they get you for?”, he asks casually when a guard patrols past them and Charles frowns, waiting till they’re alone again. 

“Lando made some really shady shit up but no idea what I’m actually in for.” He grins, running a hand through his hair. “Homicide? Murdering my third husband and taking all his money? Who knows but I told him to make it good.” 

“I’m sure he did”, Max mutters, his eyes flickering back to the guards, making sure they’re not too close by before he looks back at Charles - he’s dying to ask, he needs to know. 

“You got a plan?”

“Yep. There’s an old service tunnel below the prison and the door is normally locked but Michael will get us a key.”

“We’ll need a distraction though.”

“That’s why Lando will override their complete security system”, Charles whispers, making sure to keep his voice low, “means he’ll free over nine hundred high-security prisoners and we can disappear in the ensuing chaos.” 

Max stares at him for a moment before his lips curl into a smirk and he leans back. His best friend is an evil genius. 

“And Daniel agreed to that?”, he asks and Charles grins. “Said he’ll do whatever it takes to get you out of there - really adorable.”

Now that’s interesting. Max ignores Charles’ last comment and he chews on his bottom lip, his stomach fluttering when he thinks about Daniel. He misses him, misses him more than he ever thought he’d miss someone and he clears his throat, ignoring the pain in his wrists. 

Charles isn’t wearing handcuffs but then again he also isn’t considered one of the most dangerous criminals in the country. 

“Did he say something? About me?” He hates how insecure he sounds but Charles just grins, lazily running a hand through his dark hair - it’s unfair how he can still look like a fucking runway model in those plain prison clothes.

“Was pretty disturbed and couldn’t stop worrying”, he tells him easily, “it was really cute. I’m pretty sure he’d burn all of London to the ground to get you out of here so you really have to stop worrying.”

Max tries, he really does but- look, it’s hard. His whole life is already such a fuck up and he nods, staring at his wrists. At least he has Charles with him. 

“Lando will kill the system in two hours”, Charles mumbles, his face serious again while he leans a bit forward, not suspicious enough to let anyone think they’re planning something but enough that Max is the only one hearing him. “Michael will be at your cell and get you out of there, I’ll meet you at the entrance to the tunnel.”

“Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me - gonna cause some chaos among my inmates in the meantime, rile them up a bit.” Charles winks at him, getting up and he lets his eyes wander through the room, a smirk on his face. “See you later, mate.”

He disappears in the crowd and Max exhales, his face settling back into a blank mask when one of the guards heads towards him - it’s not Michael. 

The guard looks him up and down, a dark expression in his face and Max holds his gaze easily - he won’t let himself be intimidated by some prison security guard. 

He could easily kill him if he wanted to. 

The guard looks like he wants to say something before he sneers and turns around, continuing his round. Max relaxes a bit, his eyes meeting Michael’s and his friend‘s lips quirk into a tiny smile before he turns away, walking to the doors. 

Two hours later, all hell breaks loose. 

Max jumps up when the door to his cell opens and he’s not surprised to see Michael leaning on the wall across from it, a smirk on his face while prisoners run past him, guards chasing after them. 

“Ready to leave?”, he asks nonchalantly and Max nods, quickly following him through the corridor, ignoring the chaos around him - literally every cell door is open, security apparently broken down completely and it’s the perfect distraction.

“The plan sounds too easy to work”, Max mumbles while he follows Michael, gritting his teeth when he feels a wave of pain overcoming him - it’s getting incredibly painful suppressing his powers for so long. Michale just smirks, gently taking his arm while they hurry down the stairs. 

“It’s the big disadvantage of such a modern high-security prison”, he says, “everything is controlled by technology. If you were imprisoned in the Tower we would have a much harder time getting you out of a dungeon. Or maybe not, given that we’d just have to shoot a few guards.”

Max is still amazed by how much Daniel’s (and apparently Michael’s and Hulk’s) morals shifted in the last few weeks and he can’t help but be a little bit proud. 

Michael stops at the bottom of the stairs, they’re completely alone now and he pulls a key from his pocket, unlocking the handcuffs. Max groans when he flexes his wrists, closing his eyes for a second when the power comes back full force and he’s grateful Michael puts an arm around his waist, stabilising him a little. 

It feels so much better and he takes a deep breath, giving himself a moment before opening his eyes again. “Why the tunnel, why not the main entrance?”

“Too obvious, back-up will arrive there and the tunnel is close to a private airstrip where our plane is located”, Michael says shortly, they keep walking and Max breathes out in relief when he spots Charles at the end of the dark corridor in front of a big door. 

He pulls him into a tight hug, ignoring the pain his wrists - he’s just glad he’s okay. 

“Love you too, Maxy”, Charles mocks him but his eyes are soft when he pulls back and Michael unlocks the door, ushering them in the tunnel. He locks the gate behind them and Max wants to say something when two figures come towards them - both wearing balaclavas but he’d recognised those curls and eyes everywhere. 

He chokes back a sob and not a second later he’s in Daniel’s arms, hugging him so tightly he’s sure Dan has problems breathing but he doesn’t complain, just hugging him back, his big hands splayed on his back, stroking it soothingly. 

“Hey, Maxy”, Daniel murmurs and Max pulls the balaclava down and Daniel into a deep kiss, drinking in every sound he makes, savouring every little detail and the warmth and softness of Daniel’s lips. 

It feels like coming home.

“Alright lads, not to kill your fun but we should really get out of here”, Hulk’s amused voice interrupts them and Max blushes a little, nodding while stepping back, clearing his throat.

He still wants to punch Daniel in the face but he can still do that later. 

Daniel has a huge grin on his face, his lips swollen and he pulls the balaclava back over his face while Hulk throws Michael an AK and Charles a gun. Max takes a deep breath, conjuring his kinetic energy while stepping next to Daniel, taking his hand and his eyes turn cold. 

“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

-

“Why did you want to clear your name?”, Max asks while they stop in front of the window of a shop and Daniel bites his lips, hesitating. “I- look, I know my Mama keeps an eye on the news from the UK, always hoping for a sign from me and if she knew I- she’d be heartbroken. Especially because I can’t really contact her at the moment.”

“I get that”, Max says quietly, staring at the expensive leather shoes behind the window while playing with the napkin he got with his ice cream. “I do. Somehow at least, I think. But I’m sure Lando could find a way for us to visit your parents - only if you want to of course.”

“You sure?” Dan raises an eyebrow while they keep walking and Max nods, a small smile playing around his lips. “Yeah. I mean, probably not right now given that I’m still hunted by every Secret Service in Europe and _probably_ the CIA as well now but I mean, we have time.”

“We do.” Daniel stops, smiling as well and when he looks at Max there’s nothing but love in his boyfriend’s eyes. Daniel cups his face in one hand, pulling him closer and he kisses him softly, smiling when he tastes the leftover strawberry ice cream on Max’s lips. 

The air is still warm and sweet, smelling like pine trees and the old streets of Rome, the sun slowly setting and dipping everything into a golden, orange light and knowing Max and he will go for dinner later that night makes his heart skip a beat - god, he’s so in love. 

He really has a hard time to stop smiling these days. 

“Where is the chaos group?”, Max asks when they keep walking and Daniel shrugs, running a hand through his hair. “Michael said something about a day trip to the beach and that they’re babysitting Charles and Lando. Should be back tonight given that none of them gets lost or into trouble.”

“I miss the beach”, Max mumbles and Daniel smiles softly. “We can go next week if you want? Maybe take a trip to Sicily or the South?”

“And leave the city behind?” Max raises his eyebrows, a smirk on his face. “Let the city fall into chaos, people getting robbed and despair because there’s no superhero to save their ass?”

“Shut up.” Daniel laughs, pushing him slightly and Max cuddles into his side, adjusting his cap with a happy smile on his face. “Never.” 

Daniel shakes his head amused, taking his hand again and they stroll through the streets of Rome, the love of his life next to him, eating ice cream with a happy smile on his face and Daniel is pretty sure he hasn’t been this happy in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look they are both traumatised they absolutely deserve this Happy End and I don't think they could have gotten that if Daniel 'actually' betrayed Max if that makes sense? Their trust would've just been broken 
> 
> And I am just a sucker for the good guys somehow turning bad lmao 
> 
> It was fun seeing you all wanting to murder Daniel though because valid skjdsds he would have deserved that
> 
> Honestly though thank you all so so much. This fic was so so much fun to write, to come up with and seeing you all enjoy it as much as I do means the world to me. 
> 
> I am actually considering writing a second part to this (read: it's fully plotted out and I just have to write it lmao) if you guys are interested? Idk lemme know what you think 💛
> 
> Thank you for all the yelling, the kudos, the comments, the hits and just being so supportive in general. You all are amazing and I have a lot of love for you 💛💛💛
> 
> Stay safe 💛

**Author's Note:**

> you can follow me on tumblr @ [verstappened](https://verstappened.tumblr.com/) if you want to yell at me skdjskd
> 
> Kudos and comments are very appreciated thanksss 💛


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